* Image acquisition by:
Ben S Klerk (GSO 6" f/9 RC; ZWO ASI 071)
* Image processing: Ruben Barbosa.
Omega Centauri or NGC 5139 is a globular cluster located 16,000 light years away, in the direction of the Centauri constellation.
With a diameter of approximately 150 light years, this object is the largest and brightest cluster of the 200 identified orbiting our galaxy, the Milky Way, and can be observed with the naked eye (apparent magnitude: +3.9), resembling a comet without a tail. This celestial wonder is visible during the months of March, April, and May from the Southern Hemisphere; for latitudes above 42N, never rises above the horizon.
Its age was estimated at about 12 billion years, almost as many years as the Universe, being made up of more than 10 million stars of several generations; The most central ones are incredibly close to each other (on the order of 0.1 light years away).
Based on its chemistry and dynamics, a hypothesis has emerged suggesting that Omega Centauri may be a remnant nucleus of a dwarf galaxy, which in the recent past merged with the Milky Way. Another fact that reinforces this idea is based on the evidence of the existence of an intermediate black hole in the center of Omega Centauri.
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