RA 253.8893° · Dec -39.4609° · openngc
2 more points to reach Common.
NGC 6242 is a trash cluster. It sits in the constellation Sco and shines at apparent magnitude 6.4.
NGC 6242 is a trash cluster worth 13 points across 2 science badges. Explore its facts, badges and place on the sky map, then add it to your dex on Spacedle.
Look for NGC 6242 in the constellation Sco. At apparent magnitude 6.4, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 6242 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
NGC 6242 scores 13 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the trash tier. Another 2 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 2 science badges — Star cluster and Bright deep-sky object — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.