M29 - NGC 6913

Messier 29 (NGC 6913) is a small and sparse open cluster located in the constellation Cygnus, approximately 4,000 light-years from Earth. The cluster contains roughly 50 stars within a diameter of about 11 light-years, though only about a dozen brighter members are easily visible through a telescope. It shines at a combined apparent magnitude of about 7.1 and spans approximately 7 arcminutes of sky. M29 is estimated to be relatively young, about 10 million years old, and its brightest members are hot, luminous B0-type stars that are each tens of thousands of times more luminous than the Sun. Despite their intrinsic brilliance, these stars appear relatively dim because the cluster lies behind a significant amount of interstellar dust in the plane of the Milky Way, which dims its light by about 3 magnitudes. If it were not for this obscuration, M29 would be a far more impressive naked-eye object. The cluster was discovered by Charles Messier on July 29, 1764. Through binoculars, M29 appears as a tiny, faint smudge in the rich Cygnus star fields. A small telescope reveals a compact group of 5 to 7 brighter stars arranged in a distinctive pattern that some observers liken to a cooling tower or a dipper shape. The cluster is located about 1.7 degrees south of the brilliant star Sadr (Gamma Cygni), which marks the center of the Northern Cross asterism, making it easy to find. While M29 is one of the less impressive Messier objects, its youth and the luminosity of its member stars make it an interesting example of a young open cluster partially veiled by interstellar dust.

Contains about 50 stars within 11 light-years diameter at approximately 4,000 light-years distance, with its light dimmed by about 3 magnitudes by interstellar dust.