Object Analysis

Messier 107 (M107) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1782. M107 is notable for being one of the most "loose" globular clusters, lacking the intense central compression found in clusters like M15 or M2.

Located about 20,900 light-years away, M107 contains several obscured regions, suggesting the presence of interstellar dust—a rarity for globular clusters which usually sit far outside the dusty galactic plane. It is roughly 14 billion years old and contains many "blue stragglers" and variable stars.

In a telescope, it appears as a grainy, oval-shaped patch of light. Because it is relatively loose, it is easier to resolve individual stars in its core than in more compact globulars. It is one of the many ancient stellar cities that orbit the Milky Way, surviving for eons in the galactic halo.