Messier 62 (also M62, NGC 6266, ESO 453-SC14 and GCl 51) is a magnitude +7.39 globular star cluster located 22,500 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. NGC 6266 is one of the most irregular globular clusters known. Its deformation, first reported by William Herschel, (who was the first to resolve the brightest stars), is the result of the tidal forces of the nucleus of the Milky Way; The cluster is located only 6,100 light-years away from the galactic center, and one of the closest globular clusters in the Messier catalogue to the central region of the Milky Way.
The cluster was first discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier on the 7th June 1771, and included in his catalogue of comet-like objects on the 4th June 1779.
Right Ascension 17h 01m 12.60s, Declination -30° 06' 44.5"
