M71 is at a distance of about 12,000 light years away from Earth spanning 27 light years across. The irregular variable star Z Sagittae is a member of this cluster.

Easy to find and observable in good binoculars, medium-sized amateur telescopes are better to resolve the M71 compressed mass of stars to the centre. This gloular cluster is brighter and sharply terminated on the western side, where it is described as forming a curved V.

Until the 1970s, M71 was thought to be a densely packed open cluster and was classified as such by leading astronomers in the field of star cluster research due to its lacking a dense central compression. Contibuting to this idea are M71´s stars contain more metals than is usual for an ancient globular cluster and it lacks variable stars common in most globulars. However, modern photometric photometry has detected a short horizontal branch in the H-R diagram of M71, which is characteristic of a globular cluster. The shortness of the branch explains the lack of variables and is due to the globular's relatively young age of 9-10 billion years. The relative youth of this globular also explains the abundance of metals in its stars. Today M71 is designated as a very loosely concentrated globular cluster, much like M68 in Hydra. M71 has a luminosity of around 13,200 suns.

At 53,000 light years, a considerable distance beyond the Galactic Centre, M72 is one of the more remote of Messier's globular clusters. so distant yet between 9th or 10th apparent magnitude, M72 is therefore one of the more intrinsically luminous globular cluster. M72 is not very concentrated - among Messier's globulars, just M71 and M56 are less concentrated.

In a 4-inch telescope, M72 appears as a small, pale and grainy nebulous patch of light. Of notable even brightness, fading gradually towards the edges, M72 is hard to resolve in amateur telescopes; even in an 8-inch only the extreme edges show suspicions of resolved stars.

A 6th magnitude star (HD 198431 at RA 20:50.6, Dec -12:32, spectral type K1 III) is 40' to the West of M72. Situated just about the same distance beyond this star from M72 is the very faint local group galaxy Aquarius Dwarf (RA 20:46.9, Dec -12:51), which requires larger telescopes to be observed. To the East of M72, about 1.5 deg, M73, a Y-shaped group of 4 stars which is considered fairly inconspicuous, can be found.

M73 is a small inconspicuous assortment of four stars situated in the western part of Aquarius. M73 lies about 1.5º east of M72 but, as a physical group, its nature is doubtful.

Charles Messier catalogued M73 on October 4th 1780 and described it thus: Cluster of three or four small stars, which resembles a nebula at first glance, containing very little nebulosity; this cluster is located on the parallel [of declination] of the preceding [M 72]; its position has been determined from the same star [Nu Aquarii].

Apparently this group found its way into Messier's catalog because he had determined its position at the same time as measuring M72. It may have been included because of its first-glance nebulous appearance in Messier's instruments. Although it is clear from this description that this group was what Messier had observed and measured, some versions of Messier's catalog omit it as an obscure object. Consequently M73 has received little research or interest.

An asterism is a chance alignment of stars at different distances, as some astronomers believe M73 to be. Although a minor issue, perhaps at some time in the future evidence can be gathered as to whether the stars d in fact form a physical system or otherwise.

M74 is a great example of a spiral galaxy, as we see it face-on. With a relatively low surface brightness, a small and bright nucleus, its spiral structure stands out conspicuously.

M74´s spiral arms are about 1,000 light years across, traced with clusters of young blue stars and pinkish diffuse gaseous nebulae. The lower image demonstrates how well Hubble can be used to define close-ups. Together they cover a region of more than 10 minutes of arc in diameter, corresponding to about 95,000 light years, making it a smilar size the our Milky Way.

The symmetric appearance of the galaxy is probably caused by density waves sweeping around M74's gaseous disk, likely induced by gravitaional interaction with neighbouring galaxies. When gas clouds orbiting within the disk encounter such density waves, they are first accelerated into spiral shaped wave crests, and then slowed down converge toward the spiral arm and enhancing the density wave. In addition, collisions and mergers of neighbouring clouds occur, inducing the starbirth activity along the spiral arms.

In smaller telescopes, very good conditions are needed to see more than just the nucleus. Suggestions of the magnificient spiral arms become apparent in telescopes starting at 4-inch. In telescopes of this size, the nucleus appears quite sharply limited, the diffuse hazy and mottled disk around it can be traced to a diameter of about 6' to 8' and numerous faint foreground stars are visible in the field around this galaxy. Larger telescopes show the faint spiral arms more and more clearly, and in larger instruments (16-inch up), knots become recognizable within and between the spiral arms, which are foreground stars as well as star clouds and nebulae within M74's disk.

At a distance of about 67,500 light years from Earth, M75 is one of the more remote of Messier's globular clusters, lying 47,600 light years beyond the Galactic centre.

As M75 is a compact, concentrated globular cluster plus its great distance, larger telescopes are required to resolve it into stars. The angular diameter of 6.6' corresponds to a linear extension of almost 130 light years, and it is of high luminosity, about 180,000 times that of the Sun.