NGC 6242
Open cluster in Scorpius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 6242 is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation Scorpius. It can be viewed with binoculars or a telescope at about 1.5° to the south-southeast of the double star Mu Scorpii.[3] This cluster was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752 from South Africa.[5] It is located at a distance of approximately 4,350 ly (1,335 pc) from the Sun,[2] just to the north of the Sco OB 1 association.[6] The cluster has an estimated age of 77.6 million years.[2]
| NGC 6242 | |
|---|---|
NGC 6242 Credit: DECaPS | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 16h 55m 30.7s[1] |
| Declination | −39° 28′ 26″[1] |
| Distance | 4.35 ± 0.53 kly (1.335 ± 0.163 kpc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.4[3] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 9′[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Estimated age | 77.6[2] Myr |
| Other designations | NGC 6242, Cr 317[4] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Scorpius |
A microquasar with the designation GRO J1655-40 is located in the vicinity of NGC 6242 and is moving away from the cluster with a runaway space velocity of 112±18 km/s. It may have originated in the cluster during a supernova explosion ~2.2×105 year ago.[7]
