NGC 6316 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus. Its Shapley-Sawyer Concentration Class is III, meaning that it has a "strong inner core of stars" and was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel on 24 May 1784. It is at a distance of about 35,900 light years away from the Earth.[4][5] NGC 6316 has a metallicity of -0.45;[3] this means that its ratio of hydrogen/helium to other elements is only 35% that of the Sun, but still enough to be considered a "metal-rich" globular cluster.[6]
| NGC 6316 | |
|---|---|
NGC 6316 as seen through the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Class | III[1] |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension | 17h 16m 37.42s[2] |
| Declination | −28° 08′ 24.0″[2] |
| Distance | 33,900 ly (10,400 pc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.03[2] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 4.9′ × 4.9′[1] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Metallicity | |
| Notable features | Relatively metal-rich globular cluster |
| Other designations | GCl 57, VDBH 219[2] |
| See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters | |
New General Catalogue 6000 to 6499 | |
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