The M7 Open Star Cluster in Scorpius
			
		
		
		
			M7 is one of the most prominent 
open clusters 
of stars on the sky.  
The cluster, dominated by bright blue 
stars, 
can be seen with the naked eye in a dark sky 
in the tail of the constellation of 
Scorpius. 
M7 contains about 100 stars in total, 
is about 200 million years old, spans 25 
light-years across, and lies about 1000 light-years away.  
This color picture was taken in 1995 at the 
Burrell-Schmidt Telescope at 
Kitt Peak National Observatory in 
Arizona.  
The 
M7 star cluster 
has been known since ancient times, being noted by 
Ptolemy in the year 130 AD.  
Also visible is a 
dark dust cloud 
near the bottom of the frame, 
and literally millions of unrelated stars 
towards the Galactic center.