Messier 25

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Bode 56, IC 4725, C 1828-192

Type  Open Cluster
Magnitude  4.6
Size  32'
Right Ascension  18h 31'  (2000)
Declination  19° 7' S
Constellation  Sagittarius
Description  Cl, pC
Classification  I 2 p
Observing Notes

Andrew Cooper
Jun 27, 2020    Waikoloa Quarry, HI (map)
8x42mm Nikon Prostaff 3S Binoculars @ 8x
Seeing: 7 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

A conspicuous cluster just east of M24, bright, coarse, resolved, centered on a few brighter 6-8th magnitude stars

Andrew Cooper
Jun 27, 2020    Waikoloa Quarry, HI (map)
28cm f/10 SCT, NexStar 11" GyPSy @ 127x
Seeing: 7 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

Large! bright! a coarse collection of 6-8th magnitude stars scattered across a 30' area, the central clump is oddly divided into north and south sections by a sparse rift, the magnitude 6.4 U Sgr at the east end of the northern section

Andrew Cooper
Aug 11, 2017    Waikoloa, HI (map)
Hodgepodge w/TV-76mm f/6 APO @ 30x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

A large bright cluster, ideal for the 76mm, several sweeps of stars radiate out from the central group which is about 10' across, coarse, the full cluster appears to cover a 25' area, very obvious when sweeping the area at low power

Andrew Cooper
Apr 18, 2010    Hale Pohaku, HI (map)
46cm f/4.5 Newtonian, Deep Violet @ 60x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

Large! Bright, coarse, around 100+ 7th to 10th magnitude stars arranged in clumps across a 30' area

Andrew Cooper
Jun 28, 1998    Santa Rita Mts., AZ (map)
20cm f/10 SCT

Almost just a thicker patch of the Milky Way but the concentration of bright stars makes it stand out

Rev. T.W. Webb
May 19, 1885    Hardwick, Herefordshire, England (map)

Coarse and brilliant. Not in G.C.
― Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, T. W. Webb, 1917

William Herschel
Jul 30, 1783    19 New King Street, Bath (map)

Very large stars and some small ones; I counted 70, and there are many more within no considerable extent.

Charles Messier
Jun 20, 1764    

A cluster of small stars in the neighborhood of the two previous clusters [M23 and M24], between the head & the end of the bow of Sagittarius: the nearest known star to this cluster is 21 Sagittarii, 6th magnitude, according to Flamsteed. The stars of this cluster are seen with difficulty with an ordinary telescope of 3.5-foot; no nebulosity can be seen. Its position has been determined from Mu Sagittarii.
― Connaissance des Temps, 1781

Harold Corwin

IC 4725 = M 25. William Herschel saw this on 18 June 1784, but of course did not list it in his catalogues (of the Messier objects, only M 82 = NGC 3034 is in William Herschel's lists, and that by mistake). It may play a role in the identification of NGC 6647 (which see), another cluster seen by William Herschel in the same sweep.

Though found by de Cheseaux in the 1740's, this is another of Solon Bailey's clusters recovered on Harvard patrol camera plates. Bailey did not make the identity with M 25 -- that was left to Dreyer. I've given positions for the core of the cluster, and also for a much larger, more extended "halo" which is probably the object recorded by Bailey.
IC Notes by Harold Corwin
Other Data Sources for Messier 25
Associated objects for Messier 25
Nearby objects for Messier 25
Credits...

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

A complete list of credits and sources can be found on the about page

Messier 25