M54, NGC 6715

M54 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It is bright but small, and its core is not resolved here. M54 was always thought to be some 60000 light-years away, but there is now a claim that it is actually part of an extragalactic system, a member of the Local Group called the Sagittarius Dwarf, which would move it out to nearly 90000 light-years. This composite was created from images taken in July 1998 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope, during the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program operated at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and supported by the National Science Foundation. Image size 11.6 arc minutes.