Waid Observatory

Object: M107

Date: 5/23/2020    Location: Davis Mountains west of Fort Davis, TX
Telescope: 10 inch RC  -  Camera: Apogee F8300M
Exposure: L = 120 min.  -  R,G & B = 60 min. each (Sub Exposures = 5 min. each)

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M107

M107 - Globular Cluster in Orphiuchus 1

Discovered 1782 by Pierre Mechain.

This cluster of stars is probably the last Messier object to be discovered.  It was found by Pierre Mechain in 1782 and he probably intended it to be included in a future addition of Charles Messier's catalog.  It, however, was not added to the original catalog.  Due primarily to Dr. Helen Sawyer Hogg's efforts while working at the David Dunlop Observatory, it was finially added to the list in 1947.  M107 appears less dense than most other globular clusters and apparently contains some "dark obscured" regions.  This rather loose stellar grouping enables astronomers the opportunity to better study the interstellar regions within the cluster.  The cluster is about 21,000 light years distant and lies in the constellation Orphiuchus.

1http://www.messier.seds.org/m/m107.html


  Copyright Donald P. Waid