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
Last Modification: 8 Sep 2000, 22:00 MET