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| | Messier Object 54 |
 | | M54 is a quite conspicuous globular cluster, although Charles Messier, who discovered it on July 24, 1778, describes it as "very faint" from his location in Paris (Kenneth Glyn Jones erroneously mis-translated Messier's description as "very bright nebula," and this error found its way to Kepple and Sanner's Night Sky Ovserver's Guide). |
 | | M54 has at least 82 known variables, the majority of 55 being of RR Lyrae type, but there are also two semi-regular red variables with periods of 77 and 101 days. |
 | | M54 is easy to find as it is close to Zeta Sagittarii, the southernmost star of Sagittarius' "dipper" asterism of 4 or 5 stars (also called the "Milky Dipper", and part of the "Teapot"), namely 0.5 degrees south and 1.5 degrees west. |
| www.seds.org /messier/m/m054.html (577 words) |
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