Posted on 04/27/2016 4:48:35 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: This huge ball of stars predates our Sun. Long before humankind evolved, before dinosaurs roamed, and even before our Earth existed, ancient globs of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy. Of the 200 or so globular clusters that survive today, Omega Centauri is the largest, containing over ten million stars. Omega Centauri is also the brightest globular cluster, at apparent visual magnitude 3.9 it is visible to southern observers with the unaided eye. Cataloged as NGC 5139, Omega Centauri is about 18,000 light-years away and 150 light-years in diameter. Unlike many other globular clusters, the stars in Omega Centauri show several different ages and trace chemical abundances, indicating that the globular star cluster has a complex history over its 12 billion year age.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit and Copyright: Roberto Colombari]
The Big One
|
Wow.
Yeah, it’s a nice one! No wonder APoD has liked it so much over the years.
During my amateur astronomy days I used to spend most of my time viewing nebulas and planets. Then one day I focused my Meade on a globular star cluster. It was like looking into a bowl of diamonds.
:’) Still, I really do like a good nebula. :’)
And what healthy young male wouldn't???
Hugh and series glob of stars.
Actually, it has been decided that it’s actually a core of a dwarf galaxy, not a globular at all.
I regularly can catch Omega Cent from Savannah. It just clears the horizon for a few hours in the Spring. Through a scope, it’s a marvelous sight. In Binoculars, it has a red tinge from atmospheric effects.
Further south, it is beyond description.
Thanks!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
