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Byron Davies

Sh2-101 Tulip Nebula

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Omega Centauri (or NGC 5139) image

Omega Centauri (or NGC 5139)


Acquisition Details
  • Number of frames:   36
  • FPS:   1
  • Focal length:   1260
  • CMI/CMII/CMIII:
Description

Designation:Omega Centauri (? 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. Omega Centauri is so distinctive from the other galactic globular clusters that it is thought to have an alternate origin as the core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy.