RA 314.1644° · Dec 44.6315° · openngc
15 more points to reach Epic.
NGC 6997 is a rare cluster. It lies about 2,894 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cyg and shines at apparent magnitude 10.
A star cluster still wrapped in the nebula that made it — newborn stars lighting up their own birth cloud.
Look for NGC 6997 in the constellation Cyg. At apparent magnitude 10, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 6997 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 6997 scores 35 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 15 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Star cluster, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Cluster still wrapped in its gas 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.