NGC 6342

{{Short description|Globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus}}

{{Infobox globular cluster

| name = NGC 6342

| image = 250px

| caption = NGC 6342 as seen through the Hubble Space Telescope

| epoch = J2000

| pronounce =

| constellation = Ophiuchus

| ra = {{RA|17|21|10.1}}{{cite web|title=Object No. 1 - NGC 6342|url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=NGC+6342&extend=no&hconst=73&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&out_csys=Equatorial&out_equinox=J2000.0&obj_sort=RA+or+Longitude&of=pre_text&zv_breaker=30000.0&list_limit=5&img_stamp=YES|website=NASA/IPAC extragalactic database|publisher=NASA/IPAC|access-date=14 October 2015}}

| dec = {{DEC|-19|35|15}}

| z =

| h_radial_v = {{val|+115.7|1.4|u=km/s}}

| gal_v =

| dist_pc =

| dist_ly =

| group_cluster =

| class = IV

| mass =

| mass_light_ratio =

| metal_fe = −0.55{{citation|arxiv=1606.08491|doi=10.3847/0004-6256/152/1/21|title=The Chemical Composition of Red Giant Branch Stars in the Galactic Globular Clusters NGC 6342 and NGC 6366|year=2016|last1=Johnson|first1=Christian I.|last2=Caldwell|first2=Nelson|last3=Rich|first3=R. Michael|last4=Pilachowski|first4=Catherine A.|last5=Hsyu|first5=Tiffany|journal=The Astronomical Journal|volume=152|issue=1|page=21|bibcode=2016AJ....152...21J|s2cid=19812549 |doi-access=free }}

| size =

| stars =

| appmag_v = 9.66

| absmag_v = −6.42

| size_v = 4.40{{prime}}

| notes =

| names = GCL 61 and ESO 587-SC6

| references = NASA/IPAC extragalactic datatbase, http://spider.seds.org/

}}

NGC 6342 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus. Its Shapley–Sawyer Concentration Class is IV,{{cite web|title=Revised NGC Data for NGC 6342|url=http://spider.seds.org/ngc/revngcic.cgi?NGC6342|website=Seds|access-date=14 October 2015}} and it was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel on 28 May 1786.{{cite web|title=NGC 6342 (= GCL 61)|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc63.htm#6342|website=cseligman|access-date=14 October 2015}} It is at a distance of 28,000 light years away from Earth.{{cite web|title=NGC 6342|url=http://spider.seds.org/spider/MWGC/n6342.html|website=Seds|access-date=14 October 2015}}{{cite web|title=The globular cluster NGC 6342|url=https://in-the-sky.org/data/object.php?id=5097|website=In-the-sky|access-date=14 October 2015}}

NGC 6342 is classified as metal-rich, yet has only one generation of stars.