Universe Today
Description:
History of Observation:
"A compressed mass of very small stars, in the middle of the creature's body, with outliers and a few small stellar companions in the field. The place is carefully differentiated with Antares; from which it is only 1deg 1/2 distant to the west. This object is elongated vertically, and has the aspect of a large, pale, granulated nebula, running up to a blaze in the centre. It was discovered by Messier in the year 1764, and duly reported in the Connoissance des Temps. In 1783, Sir William Herschel resolved this object into stars; and gauging it by a modification of the method which he applied to fathom the Galaxy, he concluded that his 10-foot reflector, having the power to show stars exceeding that of the eye 28.67 times, gave the profundity of this cluster of the 344th order. He describes it as having a ridge of eight or ten pretty bright stars, running from the middle to the nf [north following, NE]; a description which I found very correct. Under the head of 80 Messier (which see, No. DLXIV [564]), a slight allusion was made to nebulae considered in their relations to the surrounding spaces. Like that singular mass, the group before us is also situated on the western edge of an area which contains no stars, i.e., none of which we can decry; and in such spaces invariably, according to the testimony of Sir William Herschel, are nebulae found.
"Let us connect these facts with the observation which has shown that the stars are greatly condensed towards the centre of spherical nebulae, and with that which has afforded the proof that these stars sensibly obey a certain power of condensation (or clustering power), and we shall feel disposed to admit with Herschel, that nebulae are sometimes formed by the incessant operation of a great number of ages, at the expense of the scattered stars (etoiles dispersees) which originally occupied the surrounding regions; and the existence of empty, or ravaged spaces, to use the picturesque expression of the great astronomer, will no longer present anything which ought to confound our imagination."