101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: The Small Sagittarius Star Cloud

Charles Messier first noted the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24) on June 20, 1764. He subsequently recalled it as a “large nebulosity in which there are several stars of different magnitudes: the light which is diffused over this cluster is divided into several parts.” Although it could not be mistaken for a comet, which was the basis for his catalog, he still added it in as M24.

Later observers went on to misidentify M24 as NGC 6603, which is a separate, small, tightly packed ope