Messier 15

cluster

Messier 15 — one of the densest globular clusters known, ~33,000 light-years away in Pegasus, its core so tightly packed it may hide a rare intermediate-mass black hole. It hosts the first planetary nebula found in a globular cluster.

Open in 3D viewSee Messier 15 in the live, interactive 3D map

Science

Classification

Type: Globular star cluster (core-collapsed)
Distance: ~33,600 light-years
Diameter: ~175 light-years
Age: ~12 billion years
Notable: First planetary nebula found in a globular cluster

How we know

Note: A real Hubble image at M15's real position; ~175 ly across, shown enlarged as a marker, as seen from Earth.

Discovery & history

Name: Messier's 15th entry; in the constellation Pegasus.

Discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746; Messier catalogued it in 1764.

Images

Messier 15 — one of the densest known globular clusters (Hubble) — NASA, ESA (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image