Messier 80 (also known asM80 orNGC 6093) is aglobular cluster located approximately 32,600 light-years (10,000 pc) fromEarth in theconstellationScorpius. Discovered byCharles Messier in 1781, it is one of the densest globular clusters in theMilky Way, containing several hundred thousandstars within a spatial diameter of about 95 light-years.[9]
Messier 80 is notable for its high population ofblue stragglers, stars that appear younger than the cluster itself.Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal these stars are concentrated in distinct regions, suggesting frequent stellar interactions or collisions in the cluster's dense core.[9] On May 21, 1860, the cluster hosted thenovaT Scorpii, which briefly outshone the entire cluster with anabsolute magnitude of −8.5 and reached anapparent magnitude of +7.0, visible through telescopes and binoculars.[9]
^Shapley, Harlow; Sawyer, Helen B. (August 1927), "A Classification of Globular Clusters",Harvard College Observatory Bulletin,849 (849):11–14,Bibcode:1927BHarO.849...11S.
^abcd"Messier 80".SEDS Messier Database. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Archived fromthe original on January 14, 2022. RetrievedDecember 19, 2021.
