ey ▁Creek ▁Little ▁Creek ▁ ▁References ▁ ▁Category : T own ships ▁in ▁Des ▁Mo ines ▁County , ▁Iowa ▁Category : T own ships ▁in ▁Iowa <0x0A> </s> ▁Mess ier ▁ 6 7 ▁( also ▁known ▁as ▁M 6 7 ▁or ▁NGC ▁ 2 6 8 2 ) ▁is ▁an ▁open ▁cluster ▁in ▁the ▁const ell ation ▁of ▁Can cer . ▁It ▁was ▁discovered ▁by ▁Johann ▁Gott fried ▁K oe h ler ▁in ▁ 1 7 7 9 . ▁Age ▁estimates ▁for ▁the ▁cluster ▁range ▁between ▁ 3 . 2 ▁and ▁ 5 ▁billion ▁years . ▁Dist ance ▁estimates ▁are ▁like wise ▁varied ▁and ▁typically ▁range ▁between ▁ 8 0 0 – 9 0 0 ▁pc . ▁Est im ates ▁of ▁ 8 5 5 , ▁ 8 4 0 , ▁and ▁ 8 1 5 ▁pc ▁were ▁established ▁via ▁binary ▁star ▁mod elling ▁and ▁inf ra red ▁color - m agn itude ▁diagram ▁fitting , ▁accordingly . ▁ ▁M 6 7 ▁is ▁not ▁the ▁oldest ▁known ▁open ▁cluster , ▁but ▁Gal actic ▁clusters ▁known ▁to ▁be ▁older ▁are ▁few , ▁and ▁none ▁of ▁those ▁is ▁closer ▁than ▁M 6 7 . ▁It ▁is ▁an ▁important ▁labor atory ▁for ▁studying ▁stell ar ▁evolution , ▁since ▁the ▁cluster ▁is ▁well ▁populated , ▁has ▁neg lig ible ▁amounts ▁of ▁dust ▁obsc uration , ▁and ▁all ▁its ▁stars ▁are ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁distance ▁and ▁age , ▁except ▁for ▁approximately ▁ 3 0 ▁anom alous ▁blue ▁st rag gl ers . ▁These ▁blue ▁st rag gl ers