Omega Centauri (NGC 5139)

I observed this object on 16 April 2023 at Alpine, TX using an Obsession 22” UC Dobsonian: Omega Centauri is a very large and bright globular cluster. It is of remarkably uniform brightness over about 70% of its breadth. It does not concentrate towards the core. That is why it is classified as an VIII.

Largest and most luminous of all Milky Way GCs. 5 million solar masses. Very different from most other GCs to the extent that it is thought to have originated as the core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy. The stars in the core are so crowded that they are estimated to average only 0.1 light-year away from each other.

Shapley Sawyer Classification: VIII

Distance: 15,788 LY

Type: Halo Globular

Position w.r.t. core of galaxy: Above the disc of the MY and about the same distance from the core as the Sun but to the side of the core.

Any stars resolved: Yes

Undergoing Core Collapse: No