M2

Messier 2 or M2 (also designated NGC 7089) is a globular cluster in the constellation Aquarius, five degrees north of the star Beta Aquarii. Messier 2 is located within our Milky Way galaxy, and is found within the galactic halo, specifically in the southern galactic cap. This places it right below the southern pole of the Milky Way. M2 is about 55,000 light-years distant from Earth. At 175 light-years in diameter, it is one of the larger globular clusters known. The cluster is rich, compact, and significantly elliptical. It is 12.5 billion years old and one of the older globular clusters associated with the Milky Way galaxy. M2 contains about 150,000 stars, including 21 known variable stars. Its brightest stars are red and yellow giant stars. The overall spectral type is F4. M2 is part of the Gaia Sausage, the hypothesized remains of a merged dwarf galaxy. Data from Gaia has led to the discovery of an extended tidal stellar stream, about 45 degrees long and 300 light-years (100 pc) wide, that is likely associated with M2. It was possibly perturbed due to the presence of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Photographed with the RC8" reflector telescope and the ASI 2600MC color CMOS camera, August 27th, 2024 in Stuvsta. Exposure was 28*2 min with IDAS LPS P3 filter and postrocessing was done in Pixinsight with Blur Exterminator.