Globular Cluster M4
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M4 is the closest globular cluster in the sky, only about 7,200 ly away, and is very prominent with the slightest optical aid, and is located just 1.3 degrees west of Antares in Scorpius.
M4 would be one of the most splendid globulars in the sky if it were not obscured by heavy clouds of dark interstellar matter. Interstellar absorption also reddens the color of the light from the cluster. It displays however an angular diameter of more than that of the Full Moon, which corresponds to a linear diameter of 75 ly. M4 is one of the most loose globular clusters. The central core is much less consentrated than in many other globulars, such as 47 Tucanae. | |||||||||||||||
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