Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Centaurus (Cen)  ·  Contains:  NGC 5139  ·  Omega Centauri
Omega Centauri, Eyal
Omega Centauri
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Omega Centauri

Omega Centauri, Eyal
Omega Centauri
Powered byPixInsight

Omega Centauri

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Description

Omega Centauri (ω Cen or NGC 5139) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Centaurus that was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677. Located at a distance of 15,800 light-years (4,850 pc), it is the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way at a diameter of roughly 150 light-years. It is estimated to contain approximately 10 million stars and a total mass equivalent to 4 million solar masses, making it the most massive globular cluster of the Milky Way.

Omega Centauri is so different from the other galactic globular clusters that it is thought to have an alternative origin as the core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy

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Omega Centauri, Eyal