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Messier 53, M53, NGC 5024, Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices, REPROCESSED
Messier 53, M53, NGC 5024, Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices, REPROCESSED
M53 (NGC 5024) is a well organized globular cluster in Coma Berenices, discovered in 1775 by German astronomer Johann Bode, then independently discovered by Messier in 1777, and described as a "nebula". William Herschel was the first to resolve it into stars using a larger telescope. He documented it as, "...one of the most beautiful objects I remember to have seen in the heavens." With angular diameter of 13 arcmin, and integrated apparent magnitude of 8.3 (V), it is easily observed in small telescopes as an oval nebulosity, but requires larger apertures for resolution. Its brightest stars are listed as magnitude 13.8, and are predominantly population II red giants. Its lowest metallicity stars indicate the cluster started forming around 12.67 billion years ago. From its estimated mass of 826,000 solar, we can approximate its tidal diameter of nearly 1,600 light years, and well over a million member stars. In its central region, the stars are on average only 0.3 light years apart. The cluster lies at a heliocentric distance of 58,000 ly, and is approaching us at 63 km/s. Situated within the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy stellar stream, about 60,000 ly above the Galactic plane, it is one of the more outlying globular clusters. Considering its well preserved structural coherence during a turbulent history, it is not unreasonable to hypothesize the presence of a central black hole population, or a dense subhalo envelope of dark matter. M53 has a globular cluster companion, the disorganized cluster NGC 5053, which also originated in the Sagittarius Dwarf. The two are gravitationally bound and share a common stellar envelope and a tidal bridge. This binary globular cluster system is so far unique in the Milky Way.
Image details:
-TSAPO100Q astrograph, Sigma APO 1.4x tele-extender, 100 x 812mm
-Canon 600D camera, Astronomik CLS-CCD filter,
-Celestron AVX mount, Orion 60mm F/4 SSAGpro autoguider,
-13 x 240 second exposures, iso 1600,
-Software: PHD2, DSS, XnView, StarNet++ V2, StarTools v 1.3 and 1.7.
Messier 53, M53, NGC 5024, Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices, REPROCESSED
Messier 53, M53, NGC 5024, Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices, REPROCESSED
M53 (NGC 5024) is a well organized globular cluster in Coma Berenices, discovered in 1775 by German astronomer Johann Bode, then independently discovered by Messier in 1777, and described as a "nebula". William Herschel was the first to resolve it into stars using a larger telescope. He documented it as, "...one of the most beautiful objects I remember to have seen in the heavens." With angular diameter of 13 arcmin, and integrated apparent magnitude of 8.3 (V), it is easily observed in small telescopes as an oval nebulosity, but requires larger apertures for resolution. Its brightest stars are listed as magnitude 13.8, and are predominantly population II red giants. Its lowest metallicity stars indicate the cluster started forming around 12.67 billion years ago. From its estimated mass of 826,000 solar, we can approximate its tidal diameter of nearly 1,600 light years, and well over a million member stars. In its central region, the stars are on average only 0.3 light years apart. The cluster lies at a heliocentric distance of 58,000 ly, and is approaching us at 63 km/s. Situated within the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy stellar stream, about 60,000 ly above the Galactic plane, it is one of the more outlying globular clusters. Considering its well preserved structural coherence during a turbulent history, it is not unreasonable to hypothesize the presence of a central black hole population, or a dense subhalo envelope of dark matter. M53 has a globular cluster companion, the disorganized cluster NGC 5053, which also originated in the Sagittarius Dwarf. The two are gravitationally bound and share a common stellar envelope and a tidal bridge. This binary globular cluster system is so far unique in the Milky Way.
Image details:
-TSAPO100Q astrograph, Sigma APO 1.4x tele-extender, 100 x 812mm
-Canon 600D camera, Astronomik CLS-CCD filter,
-Celestron AVX mount, Orion 60mm F/4 SSAGpro autoguider,
-13 x 240 second exposures, iso 1600,
-Software: PHD2, DSS, XnView, StarNet++ V2, StarTools v 1.3 and 1.7.