More M7 (original) (raw)

M7 is an open star cluster in the constellation Scorpius, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Milky Way, stars scattered like dust. This provides an interesting contrast with its near neighbor M6 (compare the Kitt Peak image of M6). M7 was known as early as the year 130 AD, when it was mentioned by Ptolemy. This color composite image was created from CCD images taken at the Burrell Schmidt telescope of the Warner and Swasey Observatory of the Case Western Reserve University, located on Kitt Peak in southwestern Arizona. The contributing images were taken in June and July of 1995 during the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program operated at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and supported by the National Science Foundation.
Credit: N.A.Sharp, REU program/AURA/NOAO/NSF