NGC6520 Open Cluster and B86 Dark Nebula in Sagittarius

(NGC6520 = RA 18h 03.4m , Dec. -27° 54', 7.6 mag., 6 arcmin.)

While NGC6520 is an actual entry on RASC Finest NGC Objects list, this small cluster would not "stand out" if not for its spectacular neighbour, dark nebula B86 also known as the Ink Spot. When observed visually, this dense cloud of dust looks like a "hole" in a velvety background of unresolved faint stars. The pair is located 3°30' S of Lagoon Nebula and 2°30' N of g2 Sagittarii (see finder chart below).

The above image was taken on May 19, 2001 from Harrowsmith, Ontario. Cookbook 245 LDC camera was used on Celestron Ultima 8 SCT with f3.0 focal reducer. Fifteen white exposures (30 sec. each) were combined using AIP4WIN.

North is to the right.

Map created in Guide 7.0 - 7°45' x 7°45'. North is up.

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© Jan Wisniewski