Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Centaurus (Cen)  ·  Contains:  NGC 5139  ·  omega Cen
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NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri, Gary Imm
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NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri, Gary Imm
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri

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Description

This magnificent object is a globular cluster located 16,000 light years away in the southern sky constellation of Centaurus. One of the few globular clusters visible to the naked eye, it is the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way at a diameter of 150 light-years and is estimated to contain 10 million stars. It is one of the earliest documented deep sky objects, described in 150 A.D. by Ptolemy. The metallicities and ages of this cluster's stars suggest that it may not have formed all at once, and perhaps could be the core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy that has been absorbed by the Milky Way.

Because of its southern declination of -47°, this object only rises 12 degrees above my horizon. I waited for a steady night, but the resulting image is still somewhat blurry. Nevertheless, I am happy to be able to image such a amazing object.

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