Messier 92 (M92) is a bright, ancient globular star cluster in the constellation Hercules, located about 27,000 light-years from Earth. It's one of the oldest and brightest globular clusters in the Milky Way, containing roughly 330,000 stars and appearing as a fuzzy patch in binoculars, with individual stars becoming visible in larger telescopes. M92 is often overlooked due to its proximity to the more famous M13, but it's a prominent deep-sky object, easily found in the summer sky.
Type: Globular cluster (NGC 6341)
Location: Constellation Hercules, north of the "Keystone" asterism
Distance: ~27,000 light-years
Apparent Magnitude: 6.3 (visible in binoculars)
Age: Very old, nearly as old as the universe (over 13 billion years)
Stars: Approximately 330,000
Locate the Keystone asterism in Hercules.
Find M92 in the relatively empty area between the Keystone and the bright star Eltanin (Gamma Draconis).
It appears as a hazy, fuzzy star in binoculars, with a brighter core.
Due to the precession of the Earth's axis, M92 will become a "pole star" (Polarissima Borealis) in about 14,000 years, passing very close to the North Celestial Pole. Image Credit en:NASA en:STScI en:WikiSky
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