NGC 6253 (OC)
Open Cluster in Ara
| R.A. | Dec. | Size | Mag | SB | Cnt.St | Type | Distance | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16h 59m 06.5s | -52° 41′ 54.7″ | 6.0′ | 10.2 | 13.8 | II1m | OC | -- | -- |
Source: POSS-2 UK Schmidt Red (STScI) | Field: 15′ × 15′
Background
NGC 6253 is a faint, old open cluster 5,000 light-years away in Ara. Around 3 billion years old and unusually metal-rich for its age — a favourite target for stellar-evolution studies.
My Observing Notes
25-cm (Meade 10-inch LX200, The Coffee Grinder): Hard to pick out in the viewfinder; place α Ara on the edge of the 26 mm eyepiece field and the cluster sits on the opposite edge. A faint knot of 10–20 stars in a rough V-shape formation.(Friday, June 2025)
References
Charts
Ultra-wide view (~25° field)
Wide-field view with Telrad rings (4°, 2°, 0.5°)
Finderscope view (9×50 RACI, ~4.4° TFOV)
Eyepiece view — 35 mm Panoptic on 12-inch f/5 (1.6° TFOV)