RA 285.3398° · Dec 11.6156° · openngc
11 more points to reach Rare.
NGC 6738 is an uncommon cluster. It sits in the constellation Aql and shines at apparent magnitude 8.3.
A stellar association: a sprawling family of hot young stars that shared a birthplace but were never gravitationally bound to each other.
Look for NGC 6738 in the constellation Aql. At apparent magnitude 8.3, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 6738 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 6738 scores 23 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 11 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star cluster, Loose stellar association and Coming towards us — 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.