Near M 7 in the tail of Scorpius, M 6 is visible
to the unaided eye and covers an area in the sky
nearly as large as the full moon. It is sometimes
called "The Butterfly Cluster", because its bright
stars remind some people of the outline of a butterfly
with outstretched wings. The bright yellow-orange star
which stands out in such contrast to the otherwise blue-
white stars of the cluster is a variable giant, ranging
in brightness from magnitude 5.5 to 7.

Image data:
Camera: Canon 350XT (modified)
Exposure: ISO 800, 1 minute x 30
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian