M73 · asterism
Messier 73
Messier 73 is an asterism of four stars in the constellation Aquarius which was long thought to be a small open cluster.
RA20h 58m 55sDec−12° 38' 07"
Image: REU program/NOIRLab/ NSF /AURA. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Identity & coordinates
Identification
- Primary designation
- M73
- All designations
- M73 · NGC 6994
- Object type
- Asterism
- Constellation
- Aquarius
- Best viewing
- Autumn
Coordinates & physical
- Right ascension (J2000)
- 20h 58m 55s
- Declination (J2000)
- −12° 38' 07"
- Apparent magnitude (V)
- —
- Distance
- —
Visibility tonight
The science
Messier 73 is an asterism of four stars in the constellation Aquarius which was long thought to be a small open cluster. It lies several arcminutes east of globular cluster M72. According to Gaia EDR3, the stars are 1030±9, 1249±10, 2170±22, and 2290±24 light-years from the Sun, with the second being a binary star.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0
References
- SIMBAD Not resolved
- NED Fetched May 8, 2026 View in NED ↗
- Wikipedia Fetched May 8, 2026 Read full article ↗
Wikipedia title resolved via designation — fell back to an alternate catalog designation.
1 merge conflict resolved
- coordinates: SIMBAD missing → NED used