47 Tucanae
Also known as 47 Tuc · NGC 104
47 Tucanae is a globular star cluster in the constellation Tucana, about 15,300 light-years from Earth.
Second-brightest globular cluster
Facts
| Type | Globular star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Tucana |
| Position (J2000) | 0h 24m 05s, −72° 04′ |
| Distance | 15,300 light-years (its light set off about 15,300 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 4.09 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 43.8′ × 43.8′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 4,212 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
47 Tucanae is highest in the sky at midnight in September. It never rises from India (about 20° N); from 50° N it never rises. To see it you need the naked eye from a dark site.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Tucana
Everything in Tucana · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits