Messier 6, famously known as the Butterfly Cluster, is a delightful open star cluster fluttering in the summer sky. You can find this cosmic insect hovering in the tail of Scorpius, the Scorpion, just northwest of the larger Ptolemy Cluster (M7). In a pair of 10×50 binoculars, it displays a charming, rectangular patch of soft light that easily resolves into a few dozen bright stellar pinpoints.
Through a small 4-inch telescope, the cluster truly takes flight and shows how it earned its whimsical name. The stars arrange themselves into two distinct, glowing wings that join at a bright central body. A prominent orange-hued star, the variable supergiant BM Scorpii, marks the left wingtip and adds a beautiful splash of warm color to the cool, blue-white background of the other cluster members.
An 8-inch telescope reveals a rich backyard treasure chest of roughly 80 glittering stars spread across the dark velvet of space. The butterfly shape becomes less distinct as fainter background stars fill in the voids, but the view remains mesmerizing. Delicate pairings and short, winding lines of stars seem to dance outward from the center, making it a spectacular target for warm summer evenings.