C25
Globular Cluster in Lynx
About
NGC 2419, a globular cluster in Lynx roughly 300,000 light-years away, farther out than the Magellanic Clouds. It was once thought not to orbit the Milky Way at all, hence the nickname Intergalactic Wanderer. William Herschel found it in 1788.
Imaging tips
- Only about 4′ across, so it is too small to frame: use a long focal length and a fine pixel scale.
- Faint for a globular cluster at 21.9 mag/arcsec². One published LRGB image gathered about 4.5 hours in 5-minute subs, partly under a bright Moon.
- A dense star cluster with no gas to isolate, so broadband filters are the fit.
- Best around December and January; it climbs to about 79° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 4′
- Magnitude
- 10.3
- Coordinates
- RA 7h 38.2m, Dec +38° 53′
- Framing, APS-C
- longer than 4000 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Jan, Dec
- Peak altitude
- 79° from 50°N, 86° from 35°N