[3] Charles Messier included it in his catalogue of diffuse objects in 1764.

The cluster is located just to the east of the Scutum Star Cloud midpoint.

Estimates for the cluster's mass range from 3,700 M☉[8] to 11,000 M☉,[4] depending on the method chosen.

Despite its youth, it shows an enhancement of alpha process elements.

Possibly this is due to an enhancement of its birth molecular cloud by a nearby Type II supernova explosion.