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NGC 5897 - Globular cluster in the constellation
Libra |
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Object description:
NGC 5897
NGC 5897 is a very beautiful globular
cluster in the constellation of Libra. According to Shapley it is assigned to
concentration class XI. Class XI corresponds to a
very low concentration of stars towards the center of the
cluster.
Strangely enough there is
hardly any information about this beautiful globular cluster. Its magnitude is
given as 8.4 and its apparent diameter as 12 arcminutes. The distances are
between 24 000 lightyears to the galactic center and 41 000 lightyears to our
solar system. The space volume is given with a diameter of 170 light years.
With this distance and its real diameter it should be one of the largest
globular clusters of our galaxy. |
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The
comparison of the chemical composition of heavy elements of our Sun with the
stars in NGC 5897 suggests that the stars were formed at a time long before the
Galaxy formed a disk and spiral arms, so they are very old.
The globular cluster was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm
Herschel on March 10, 1785.
A UBVI photometry of 2709 stars,
published in 1992,
can be found here. In 2018 an
article on
the chemical composition of 27 stars in NGC 5897 was
published.
« Click here or the thumbnail to load a large annoted image
and a size comparison to the full moon. |
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All Images and all Content are ©
by Franz Hofmann + Wolfgang Paech |