NGC 6530 well placed for observation

The open star cluster NGC 6530, close to the lagoon nebula (M8) in Sagittarius, will be well placed for observation, culminating at around midnight local time.

At magnitude 4.6, NGC6530 is too faint to be seen with the naked eye from any but the very darkest sites, but is visible through a pair of binoculars or small telescope.

At a declination of -24°19′ , it is seen to best advantage in the southern hemisphere; in fact, it is unobservable from latitudes much north of 45°N.