M56
NGC 6779 · Globular cluster in Lyra
- Magnitude
- 8.3
- Size
- 8.8′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.4 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug
- Declination
- +30°
- Filter
- None (broadband target)
A small globular between Albireo and the Ring Nebula, set in a rich star field.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs | 20% | 18 min107 subs | 27 min162 subs | 1 h 07 min401 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs | 11% | 20 min119 subs | 30 min178 subs | 1 h 13 min437 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs | 12% | 20 min118 subs | 29 min173 subs | 1 h 09 min413 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs | 7% | 21 min127 subs | 31 min189 subs | 1 h 17 min461 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs | 9% | 24 min97 subs | 38 min153 subs | 1 h 40 min399 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs | 12% | 18 min71 subs | 27 min107 subs | 1 h 07 min267 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs | 12% | 15 min30 subs | 22 min44 subs | 55 min111 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 8% | 1 h 13 min294 subs | 1 h 39 min395 subs | 3 h 30 min839 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 10% | 18 min107 subs | 27 min162 subs | 1 h 07 min401 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 9% | 42 min255 subs | 1 h 02 min370 subs | 2 h 26 min874 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 10% | 17 min102 subs | 26 min154 subs | 1 h 04 min384 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 9% | 40 min242 subs | 59 min352 subs | 2 h 19 min835 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 26% | 22 min326 subs | 27 min411 subs | 52 min784 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 26% | 1 h 52 min1,684 subs | 2 h 13 min1,994 subs | 3 h 43 min3,351 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 17% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min42 subs | 18 min110 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 20% | 6 min34 subs | 9 min56 subs | 26 min154 subs |
Imaging the globular cluster
Globular clusters are point sources packed tight, so they come quickly: the core resolves into stars within a handful of minutes on any smart scope. More time deepens the halo and pulls in the faint outer members. Use short subs so the core does not saturate into a white blob, and no filter.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the M56 with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the M56 with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the M56 with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the M56 with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the M56 with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the M56 with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the M56 with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the M56 with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the M56 with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the M56 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the M56 with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the M56 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the M56 with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the M56 with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the M56 with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the M56 with the Celestron Origin Mark II