M69, NGC 6637

M69, a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius, is one of the smaller and fainter globular clusters listed by Messier, and quite similar to its neighbor M70. It is about 50 light-years across at a distance of some 25000 light-years. This picture was created from observations with the T2KA CCD camera at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in May 1998, and again in July of that year during Kitt Peak's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, supported by the National Science Foundation. North is at the top with east to the left.