H-NGC288
Globular Cluster in Sculptor
About
A loosely packed globular cluster in Sculptor, about 28,000 to 29,000 light-years away in the Milky Way's halo. A dense core roughly 3′ wide sits inside a fainter, irregular ring about 9′ across. It lies near the South Galactic Pole.
Imaging tips
- Framing of 1730–2890 mm on APS-C suits the cluster. The galaxy NGC 253 is about 1.8° away, far outside that frame, and is not physically close.
- One film imager captured both in one 2.4° × 1.6° field using 784 mm focal length; a mosaic or wide lens is the way to combine them.
- A faint 22.5 mag/arcsec² cluster: one imager reached a 43 × 32′ field with 130 minutes of LRGB on a 16-inch f/3.75 astrograph.
- Best around September and October, but it peaks near 13° from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 14′
- Magnitude
- 8.1
- Coordinates
- RA 0h 52.7m, Dec −26° 35′
- Framing, APS-C
- 1730–2890 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 2650–4420 mm
- Best months
- Sep, Oct
- Peak altitude
- 13° from 50°N, 28° from 35°N