M79
Image Credit: Preston Starr and Donald Waid - Image Date: Jan. 26 & 28, 2020
Equipment: 10 in. RC Telescope - Apogee F8300 Camera - Paramount MX Mount
M079 - NGC 1904
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M79 (Messier 79 / NGC 1904) is a remarkable globular cluster located approximately 40,000 light years from us in the constellation Lepus. This cluster lies in an unusual location with respect to most globulars. Most globular clusters are grouped around the central bulge of the galaxy while M79's location is beyond our position and is about 60,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way. Most globulars are located in the opposite galactic hemesphere. Recent studies lend weight to the cluster being a new immigrant to our galaxy. Evidence indicates it could have been a member of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which is in a close encounter with the Milky Way and is in a progressive state of dissolution.
M79 (Messier 79 / NGC 1904) is a remarkable globular cluster located approximately 40,000 light years from us in the constellation Lepus. This cluster lies in an unusual location with respect to most globulars. Most globular clusters are grouped around the central bulge of the galaxy while M79's location is beyond our position and is about 60,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way. Most globulars are located in the opposite galactic hemesphere. Recent studies lend weight to the cluster being a new immigrant to our galaxy. Evidence indicates it could have been a member of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which is in a close encounter with the Milky Way and is in a progressive state of dissolution.