Astronomy: Omega Centauri

Astronomy: Omega Centauri
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Galaxies & Deep Sky
Omega Centauri Omega Centauri (ω Cen, NGC 5139, or Caldwell 80) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Centaurus that was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677. Located at a distance of 17,090 light-years (5,240 parsecs), it is the largest known globular cluster in the Milky Way at a diameter of roughly 150 light-years.

Commentary

Commentary

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Omega Centauri Omega Centauri (ω Cen, NGC 5139, or Caldwell 80) is a globular cluster in the constellati on of Centaurus that was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677. Located at a distance of 17,090 light-years (5,240 parsecs), it is the largest known globular cluster in the Milky Way at a diameter of roughly 150 light-years. It is estimated to contain approximately 10 million stars, with a total mass of 4 million solar masses, making it the most massive known globular cluster in the Milky Way.

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Source: Internal
Why Omega Centauri matters: Galaxies are the fundamental building blocks of the visible universe. St udying them reveals how matter organized itself after the Big Bang and continues to evolve billions of years later. Omega Centauri is very different from most other galactic globular clusters to the extent that it is thought to have originated as the core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy. There is evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole in the dense core of this cluster, although this is disputed.

Commentary

Source: Internal
Deep dive: Omega Centauri There is evidenc e of an intermediate-mass black hole in the dense core of this cluster, although this is disputed. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)