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M80
globular cluster in Scorpius
M80 is one of the densest globular clusters in the Milky Way, a compact, bright ball in Scorpius a few degrees from Antares. It is small, but packed with stars, and sits in a colorful part of the sky.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M80
- Type
- globular cluster
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Size
- 10′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 7.3
- Distance
- about 32,600 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- May
- Typical prime months
- Mar to Aug
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband)
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image M80
- Antares and the nearby Rho Ophiuchi region make a lovely wide-field neighbor, if you want a larger frame.
- It is 10 arcminutes across, so 1,000 mm or more for a close-up.
- Its very dense core clips easily, so blend in short exposures.
Framing: what focal length?
M80 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 12% |
| 2,000 mm | about 25% |
| 3,000 mm | about 37% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M80 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 12° | Stays low |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 22° | Stays low |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 32° | Workable |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 42° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 78° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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