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(IAAC) Obj: NGC 6352 (Cr 328, Mel 170) - Inst: 70mm f/6.8 Pronto altaz refractor
Observer: Lew Gramer, Jim Cooper, Jeff Wilson
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: 22:00 Local, 12/13 Aug 2001
Location of site: Long Key FL USA (Lat 25N, Elev 1m)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 7.5 <Limiting magnitude> [6.8 near object]
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: 70mm f/6.8 Pronto altaz refractor
Magnification: 15x, 36x
Filter(s): None.
Object(s): NGC 6352 (Cr 328, Mel 170)
Category: Globular cluster.
Class: XI
Constellation: ARA
Data: mag 7.8 13.4pm*; size 7.1'
Position: 172529 -482524
Description:
I was stunned tonight to get a good view of this fine
little object down below the tail of the scorpion, in
Jim Cooper's portable little Pronto. First impression
was unnmistakable: this was one of the LOOSEST richly
resolvable GCs I've ever observed! Or more accurately
my FIRST impression was "Wow! This must be one of the
richest OPEN clusters I'd ever seen!" Notwithstanding
the obvious faintness of many constituent stars (most
below mag 14), I was still able to stare at mid-power
and count the stars individually, right into the very
core without danger of getting confused! (I would be
very curious to read other observations of n6352 with
larger scopes: as Telescopic Limiting Magnitude drops
is it very much harder to count stars?) NGC 6352 must
be common on the August lists of every starparty org-
anizer Down Under and near the Equator. But for any of
our readers North of the EB who haven't had a glimpse
of this fascinating object near their lowest southern
horizon - I recommend it to be very worth the effort!
But be warned: it'll be a challenge at lower altitude.
--
This amazingly loose (and nearly extragalactic) group
of stars is actually classified as BOTH an open and a
globular cluster in SKYCAT and some atlases. And con-
sidering our view of it tonight, it's easy to see why!
What an amazing contrast n6352 provides with the OTHER
bright GC in Ara just to the other side of Alpha Arae,
n6397. (See succeeding log for n6397.) That object, by
way of comparison, is one of the very NEAREST globular
clusters to the Earth, and so despite its IX classifi-
cation, shows a fine tight core of many bright stars.
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