Messier 9 - The Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus

Messier 9 is an ancient and densely packed globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. Some of the stars within it are around 13 billion years old. Our universe is estimated to be around 13.8 billion years old. It is a relic from the early cosmos.

From The Netherlands this cluster sits very low on the southern horizon. Which makde it quite challenging to photograph. My telescope would not even guide at this altitude! Light pollution in the south also had a part in that by the way. So I had to fully rely on tracking to capture it.

I captured this during a Messier Marathon I did in August 2025.