NGC 6400
Scientific overview
NGC 6400 is an open cluster in the constellation Scorpius. It shines at apparent magnitude 8.8 and spans about 6 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 6400
| Distance | 3,914 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 6.831003 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Radial velocity | -11.965 ± 0.564 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 265.062083 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -36.956944 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2021A&A...651A.104P · distance indicator: paral · catalogued value · source value 1200 pc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2023A&A...674A..37G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Scorpius
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 6231C 76 · NGC 6231 | Open cluster | 2.6 | 13.8 |
| Ptolemy's ClusterM 7 · NGC 6475 | Open cluster | 3.3 | 22.2 |
| IC 4592 | Reflection nebula | 3.9 | 60 |
| Butterfly ClusterM 6 · NGC 6405 | Open cluster | 4.2 | 15.6 |
| IC 4605 | Nebula | 4.7 | 30 |
| M 4M 4 · NGC 6121 | Globular cluster | 5.4 | 28.2 |
| NGC 6281NGC 6281 | Open cluster | 5.4 | 10.2 |
| NGC 6374NGC 6374 | Open cluster | 5.5 | 6.9 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.