Omega Centauri
Also known as NGC 5139
Omega Centauri is a globular star cluster in the constellation Centaurus, about 16,930 light-years from Earth.
The largest globular cluster of the Milky Way
Facts
| Type | Globular star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Position (J2000) | 13h 26m 45s, −47° 28′ |
| Distance | 16,930 light-years (its light set off about 16,930 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 5.33 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 36.3′ × 36.3′ (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 | 3,734 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Omega Centauri is highest in the sky at midnight in April. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 23° above the horizon; 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 Centaurus
- Betta Fish Nebula
- Boomerang Nebula
- Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
- Mermaid Nebula
- Running Chicken Nebula
- SN 1006
- Southern Crab Nebula
- Thackeray's Globules
Everything in Centaurus · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits