This object is a globular cluster located in the small northern constellation of Sagitta (the Arrow) at a declination of +19 degrees. The cluster lies at an approximate distance of 13,000 light years from Earth and contains at least 20,000 stars. It is about 7 arc-minutes in diameter, which corresponds to an actual width of 26 light years. M71 lies toward the center of our Milky Way, which is why the background contains a large number of stars.
The cluster is not as dense as most other globular clusters, with no bright core, and in fact M71 was classified as a densely populated open cluster until the 1970s. M71 is rated an 11 on the Shapley–Sawyer concentration rating scale, which extends from 1 (high core concentration) to 12 (loose).
This cluster is nicknamed the Angelfish. I hate nicknames, but in this case it is not a bad description for a globular cluster than does not have the classic spherical shape.
This object languished in my processed queue until
@Tam Rich and I found out a few days ago that we had both imaged it earlier this year. We each agreed to give this object processing priority so that we could finish the processing and post each of them this week. Tam's image will be coming soon.
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