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Messier catalogue · Globular cluster

M68 NGC 4590

Globular cluster in Hydra; a clear horizon helps.

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Photograph of M68 — NGC 4590
Photograph from volume II · The field may be partial and the colours may result from processing. Credits and source.

Essential information

Category
Globular cluster
Constellation
Hydra (Hya)
Alternative designation
NGC 4590
Right ascension / declination
12h39 / −26°45′
Visual magnitude
8,2
Indicative distance
≈ 33 000 al

RA / Dec.: J2000, rounded to the nearest minute. ly = light-year; M ly = million light-years; ≈ = approximate value; — = not available.

At the eyepiece

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Globular cluster in Hydra; a clear horizon helps.

Locating guide from the book3,5° SSE of β Crv

N, S, E and W indicate cardinal directions; combinations give a more precise direction. Greek letters identify the constellation’s guide stars. Check the route on a suitable chart.

Photographs help you recognise structures, but do not predict the view through an eyepiece. Detection depends on the sky, the object’s altitude and your instrument.

Sources and credits

Fact sheet adapted from Comprendre comment explorer le ciel, volume II by Steve Cimolino, version dated 17 October 2026. Values and advice are taken from the book; they are not real-time ephemerides.

ESA/Hubble & NASA. NASA / ESA / STScI reuse; see the NASA and ESA/Hubble terms below.

Photograph source and original description ↗ · NASA / ESA / STScI terms

Image resized and converted to WebP for this site; colours and proportions retained. Each image’s own licence continues to apply.

Book data: NASA HEASARC ; coordinates adapted fromOpenNGC, Mattia Verga under CC BY-SA 4.0. The relevant adapted data retain this licence. All image attributions and terms →

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