NGC 6544 (GC)

Globular Cluster in Sagittarius
R.A.Dec.SizeMag SBCnt.StTypeDistanceChart
18h 07m 21.4s-24° 59′ 49.8″1.0′9.99.6VGC----
NGC 6544 DSS plate
Source: POSS-2 UK Schmidt Red (STScI) | Field: 10′ × 10′

Background

NGC 6544 is a small, relatively bright globular cluster  9,000 light-years away in Sagittarius,  1° south-east of M20. One of the closer globular clusters and notable for its irregular, mottled appearance.

My Observing Notes

25-cm (Meade 10-inch LX200, The Coffee Grinder): Easy to spot in the viewfinder  1° SE of M20. Small (8.9') but relatively bright (mag 8.2), the core appears mottled with some brighter stars resolved. Irregular shape — not the symmetric circular halo of many globulars. Averted vision adds richness to the halo.(Friday, June 2025)

References

Charts

NGC 6544 ultra-wide chart
Ultra-wide view (~25° field)
NGC 6544 wide-field chart
Wide-field view with Telrad rings (4°, 2°, 0.5°)
NGC 6544 finderscope view
Finderscope view (9×50 RACI, ~4.4° TFOV)
NGC 6544 eyepiece view
Eyepiece view — 35 mm Panoptic on 12-inch f/5 (1.6° TFOV)