Waid Observatory

Object: NGC 2419
Date: 01/23/2015      -      Location: Denton, TX
Telescope:   -   ATRC12   Camera: ST-10XME
Exposure: Lum. = 60 min. - Red = 39 min. - Blue & Green = 45 min. each
Guided using Innovations Foresight On Axis Guider (ONAG)
Click on the image to view at higher resolution.

 

NGC 2419 - The Intergalactic Wanderer

 

NGC 2419 (The Intergalactic Wanderer) 1

Discovered by William Herschel on December 31, 1788.

Located in the constellation Lynx, NGC 2419 is one of the most remote globular clusters associated with the Milky Way.  It lies almost 300,000 light years from the Earth.  It is nearly twice as distant as the Large Magellanic Cloud.  Some early astronomers doubted that the cluster was even a member of our galaxy, thus the name "Intergalactic Wanderer".  Current studies show that it is gravitationally bound to the Milky Way and is following an elliptical orbit around the galaxy.  The cluster is intrinsically very luminous.  If it were located at the same distance as most globular clusters, it would out shine almost all others.

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2419

 
Copyright Donald P. Waid