OMEGA CENTAURI
					Return To Globular Cluster Menu
	Common Name: Omega Centauri Other Names: NGC 5139 RA: 13:26.8 Dec -47:29 Constellation: Centaurus Distance: 16 000 light years Magnitude: 3.7 Notes: Omega Centauri is a globular cluster*. In fact the largest in the Mily Way Galaxy and the brightest in our night sky. It consists of 10 million stars. Globular clusters generally have around 100 000 to 500 000 stars. It was first discovered by Edmund Halley (halleys comet fame) in 1677. The stars in the cluster are 12 billion years old, a significant fraction of the entire age of the Universe. The stars are packed very close together particularly in the core where they are 0.1 lightyears apart. * some astronomers speculate that Omega Centauri is the remnants of a captured galaxy. Evidence of this lies in that there are several populations of stars that were born at different times. Stars in Globular cluters are born at the same age.
		Telescope: Meade LX200GPS 14" Camera: Canon 300D Filters: n/a Exposure: Date: Where: Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran Lat: 31 16 35.05 S, Long 149 11 33.99 E, Elevation 547 metres