Omega Centauri

Database links to ω Centauri

Globular cluster ω Centauri
Image taken using VST , image field 51 'x 51'.
AladinLite
Constellation	centaur
Position equinox :  J2000.0 , epoch : J2000.0
Right ascension	13 h 26 m 45.9 s
declination	−47 ° 28 ′ 37 ″
Appearance
Concentration class	VIII
Brightness  (visual)	5.3 mag
Brightness  (B-band)	6.1 mag
Angular expansion	55 ′
Physical data
Affiliation	Milky Way
Redshift	(794 ± 17)  ·  10 −6
Radial velocity	(+238 ± 5) km / s
distance	17.3  kLj (5.3  kpc )
diameter	approx. 150 ly
Age	approx. 12 billion years
history
discovery	Edmond Halley
Discovery date	1677
Catalog names
NGC  5139 • C 1323-472 •  GCl  24 •  ESO  270-SC11 •  Dun  440 •  GC  3531 •

ω Centauri ( Omega Centauri, ω Cen for short , also known as NGC  5139) is a globular cluster in the constellation Centaur . It has an apparent diameter of 55 ′ and an apparent magnitude of 5.3 mag. This makes it the brightest globular cluster in the sky and visible as a small nebula with the naked eye. It also has the greatest absolute brightness , as it is by far the most massive globular star cluster in our Milky Way . Within the Local Group , it is only surpassed in size by Mayall II , a globular cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy. Omega Centauri contains around 10 million stars.

Research history

Although ω Centauri is not a star, it was given a Bayer designation . The object differs from other globular clusters in that it contains several star populations . The latest research carried out with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory shows that ω Centauri is probably a dwarf galaxy that has since been robbed of its stars by the Milky Way . The peculiarity of this object will now be easier to explain since a black hole with 40,000 solar masses has been found in the center.

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  Position in the constellation Centaur

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  High-resolution image of the center using the Hubble space telescope

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  Section of the HST image

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  Infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope

Web links

Commons : NGC 5139  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Hubble Space Telescope
• Spitzer space telescope
• Cosmic record holder - video on Spiegel-Online
• NGC5139 on astro-pics

literature

• Floor van Leeuwen, Joanne D. Hughes, Giampaolo Piotto (Eds.): Omega Centauri, A Unique Window into Astrophysics . 2002, ISBN 1-58381-105-2 , bibcode : 2002ASPC..265 ..... V .

Individual evidence

1. ^ NED
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} SEDS: NGC 5139
3. ↑ SIMBAD database
4. ↑ ^{a b} Astronomers Find Suspected Medium-Size Black Hole in Omega Centauri. April 2, 2008.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Article on Spiegel-Online
6. ↑ Seligman
7. ↑ heic0809 - Science Release: Black hole found in enigmatic Omega Centauri. April 2, 2008.