Globular custer in Lynx
This is the most distant globular cluster that is still part of Milky Way galaxy. It has been called the Intergalactic Wanderer because there was speculation that it was not part of our galaxy at all, but there is now evidence that it is orbiting the galaxy after all (and is therefore a part of it). Still, its distance of 270,000 light years puts it farther away than the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud, which are entire galaxies in their own right.
Despite its distance, the cluster can be seen in amateur telescopes of modest size as a hazy ball, and with large scopes a few individual stars may be resolved around the periphery.
| Magnitude | 10.4 |
| Apparent Size | 4.1' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 270,000 |
| Right Ascension | 07:38.1 |
| Declination | +38 53 |
| Field of View | 31' x 23' |
Image details: Exposure times of 24 minutes each of luminance, red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.5.
February 2023