101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: M7

Our summer sky is bespangled with hundreds of sparkling open star clusters. One of the finest is M7 in Scorpius. It lies just 5° east-northeast of the Scorpion’s stinger stars: Shaula (Lambda [λ] Scorpii) and Lesath (Upsilon [υ] Scorpii). Under dark skies, M7 can be seen by the naked eye as a small patch of light against the glow of the surrounding Milky Way. Depending on where you live, you will need a good view to the south to spot it, since it lies nearly 35° sout