Globulars in Ophiuchus
By Shawn Grant
In this star hop we are going to dive in a little explored but much deserving area. We are going to take a look at the multitude of globulars in this area. This area perhaps has more globulars than anywhere else in the sky. If you haven’t gone through this area you are in for a good treat. This area is centered on I guess what one would call Ophiuchus leg. It is that leg that wedges it self between Sagittarius and Scorpius. We will start our tour on the star Theta Ophiuchus.
Theta Ophiuchus is a magnitude 3.3 very pretty blue star. A view of this area wide a wide-angle eyepiece produces a beautiful seen. You will see Theta Ophiuchus along with a sixth magnitude star and a nice asterism that forms an arrow.
Move a degree to the northwest to a nice double star Omicron Ophiuchus. Omicron Ophiuchus is 5.5 magnitude with a 6.6 magnitude companion. They are separated by an easy splitting distance of 10 seconds. Just a degree to the north of Omicron Ophiuchus is a globular cluster NGC 6325. The globular is magnitude 10 and the size of 4 minutes. Don’t let that magnitude fool you because the globular appears much fainter. It is very diffuse and has no resolution.
Three degrees to the northwest you will find NGC 6287. NGC 6287 is brighter then NGC 6325 so it is much easier to see. It is magnitude 9.3 and a size of 5 minutes. This Globular cluster has some partial resolution. I saw a faint scattering of stars. This is a very interesting cluster in a very interesting star field.
The globular cluster NGC 6235 lies 2.7 degrees from NGC 6287. It is magnitude 8.9 and 5 minutes in size.This is a pretty good cluster, one of the best we have seen sofar. It is bright and fairly small. I resolved this cluster about half way to the center. It looks like diamonds.
NGC 6284 is the same magnitude as NGC 6235 but it is a bit smaller with a size of 3.3 minutes. It is very compressed. It has a bright center and a hint of resolution on the outer edge.
We have spent some time looking at faint and small globulars lets take a break and look a something spectacular. M19 is that spectacular globular. M19 is bright at magnitude 6.9 and a whopping size of 14 minutes. It is very compressed. Many people notes it having an oval or egg shape, see if you can spot this. With my 13 inch the cluster was resolved pretty good. Before you use your high power eyepiece to better inspect this object don’t forget to view the area around this cluster it is rich in stars, very beautiful.
A little over a degree to the east you will find the globular NGC 6293. It is magnitude 8.3 and 5 
minutes in size. It is a very easy cluster to spot but probably over shadowed by the nearby globular M19. It has a brighter middle and with very high magnification I could see some granular resolution around the edges.
Move 2.1 degrees southwest to a fine globular cluster NGC 6316. It is 8.1 magnitude and 6 minutes in size. It is fairly bright with a very bright center and compact. With high power it has some mottling.
One and a half degrees to the south you will come to a little larger globular NGC 6304. It is about 8th magnitude and 8 minutes in size. It is round and has a brighter center. With high power some resolution was seen. It is a very fine view.
I have save one of the better objects in this tour for last. M62 has a magnitude of 6.4 and it is 11 minutes in size. It is a large object and fairly loose. When I viewed it, it gave a comet appearance. In my 13 inch the cluster resolved into individual stars all the way to the core. It is a spectacular sight and a fitting end of the tour.
There is a lot more in this area then just globulars. There are some open clusters and a few planetary that are fitting for amateur telescopes. One of the more common types of objects in this area is dark nebula including the "S" and the pipe nebula. You will want to spend three or more great nights to fully explore this area.