BEAUTY: 
BRAGGING RIGHTS: A beautiful sight
HOW EASY IS IT TO SEE? Best with binoculars or small telescope
BEST TIME TO SEE IT: Summer (in Scorpius)
TYPE: Open Cluster DISCOVERED: Second Century by Ptolemy
The scorpion’s tail. These two beautiful open clusters are near Lambda Scorpii—the stinger of Scorpius. The entire region around the scorpion’s tail is filled with open clusters and faint nebulae.
Contrast. Start by finding Scorpius, then find both clusters with binoculars. Find Lambda Scorpii and pan a little to the left and up. M6 will be a tight group of stars off by itself, set against a relative dark part of the sky. By contrast, M7 will be a looser cluster competing against a sea of stars. Both are beautiful on their own, but the contrast is interesting too. A small telescope enhances M6. You’ll see a smattering of blue stars—many people see the shape of a butterfly. At one edge, a bright red star appears like a ruby in a pile of diamonds. M7 is a larger cluster and best viewed at low magnification.
