M9

M9, also known as NGC 6333, is one of the nearest globular clusters to our galactic center. M9 has a strong central concentration of stars and a slight oval shape. This change in structure is caused by the strong absorption of starlight by dust along its northwest edge. Of its huge stellar population, only a dozen or so variable stars are known in M9, which is rather few for a cluster of its size. Rather than chains of stars resolving at the edges, M9 appears to have larger, individual stars in a random pattern.