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Messier 4 is a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius.
It was discovered by Philippe Loys de ChŽseaux in 1746 and catalogued
by Charles Messier in 1764.
M4 was the first globular cluster in which individual stars
were resolved.
At the distance of 7,200 light-years that has been determined for
M4 it is perhaps the closest globular cluster to our Solar system.
M4 appears about the same size as the Moon on the sky which,
given its distance, yield a spatial dimension of some 75
light years across.
M4 is conspicuous in even the smallest of telescopes as a fuzzy
ball of light.
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