NGC 5466

NGC 5466

NGC 5466 by Hubble Space Telescope; 3.5′ view.
Credit: NASA/STScI/WikiSky
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Class XII[1]
Constellation Boötes
Right ascension 14h 05m 27.29s[2]
Declination +28° 32′ 04.0″[2]
Distance 51.9 kly (15.9 kpc)[3]
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.5
Apparent dimensions (V) 11′
Physical characteristics
Mass 1.79×105[4] M☉
VHB 16.47
Metallicity  = –2.20[5] dex
Estimated age 13.57 Gyr[5]
Other designations C 1403+287, GCl 27, GC 3776, h 1746, H 6.
NGC 5466 imaged with a 32-inch telescope

NGC 5466 is a class XII globular cluster in the constellation Boötes. Located 51,800 light years from Earth and 52,800 light years from the galactic center, it was discovered by William Herschel on May 17, 1784, as H VI.9. This globular cluster is unusual insofar as it contains a certain blue horizontal branch of stars, as well as being unusually metal poor like ordinary globular clusters. It is thought to be the source of a stellar stream discovered in 2006, called the 45 Degree Tidal Stream. This star stream is an approximately 1.4° wide star lane extending from Boötes to Ursa Major.

References

  1. ↑ Shapley, Harlow; Sawyer, Helen B. (August 1927), "A Classification of Globular Clusters", Harvard College Observatory Bulletin (849): 11–14, Bibcode:1927BHarO.849...11S.
  2. 1 2 Goldsbury, Ryan; et al. (December 2010), "The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. X. New Determinations of Centers for 65 Clusters", The Astronomical Journal, 140 (6): 1830–1837, arXiv:1008.2755Freely accessible, Bibcode:2010AJ....140.1830G, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/6/1830.
  3. ↑ Paust, Nathaniel E. Q.; et al. (February 2010), "The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. VIII. Effects of Environment on Globular Cluster Global Mass Functions", The Astronomical Journal, 139 (2): 476–491, Bibcode:2010AJ....139..476P, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/139/2/476.
  4. ↑ Boyles, J.; et al. (November 2011), "Young Radio Pulsars in Galactic Globular Clusters", The Astrophysical Journal, 742 (1): 51, arXiv:1108.4402Freely accessible, Bibcode:2011ApJ...742...51B, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/742/1/51.
  5. 1 2 Forbes, Duncan A.; Bridges, Terry (May 2010), "Accreted versus in situ Milky Way globular clusters", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 404 (3): 1203–1214, arXiv:1001.4289Freely accessible, Bibcode:2010MNRAS.404.1203F, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16373.x.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NGC 5466.

Coordinates: 14h 05m 27.36s, +28° 32′ 04.2″

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