Omega Centauri
Omega Centauri is the brightest and the largest known globular cluster associated with our galaxy. It is visible with the naked eye, albeit a little difficult to spot.
Image taken by ESO's La Silla Observatory
Credit: ESO
Facts About Omega Centauri:
- One of the few globular clusters visible to the naked eye.
- Quite different to other globulars, and thought to be of a different origin. Could the remnant of another galaxy.
- Contains several million Population II stars.
- Stars in its center average only 0.1 ly away from each other.
- About 12 billion years old.
Classification: Globular Cluster
Names: Omega Centauri, NGC 5139
Constellation: CentaurusDistance: 1.49e+17 km (15800 ly)
Discovered: 1677 by Edmond Halley (listed it as a nebula), although it had been recorded as a star thousands of years ago. John William Herschel recognized it as a globular cluster in the 1830s.
Magnitude: 3.7000 (app)