NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri

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Omega Centauri, NGC 5139, in grayscale luminance — shot just 11 degrees above the southern horizon. An earlier, lower attempt from a month prior is also on file.

Location: Texas Star Party 2004 near Ft. Davis, Texas

Date and Time: May 17, 2004

Seeing: 8/10

Transparency: 9/10

Equipment: Tak FSQ-106 @ f/5 on Tak NJP mount

Camera: SBIG STL-6303E NABG with integrated filter wheel

Exposure Info: Grayscale, clear luminance (4 x 10 minutes)

Processing Information: Calibration, deblooming, registration and Sigma combine in MaxIm DL 4. Digital development in MaxIm DL 4. Levels and Curves in Photoshop CS.

About this Object

One of the good things about living in Texas is that we can see this gem just above our horizon. Perhaps the grandest globular cluster of them all, Omega Centauri is compact and slightly oval in shape, shining at a naked eye brightness of 4th magnitude with an angular size that approximates our own moon at full phase. Millions and millions of stars comprise this beauty of an object which is easily resolved by even small aperture scopes, that is as long as the object is high enough at Northern latitudes to avoid atmospheric interference. This shot is wide-field, taken from very dark skies. Omega Centauri was 11 degrees above the southern horizon when this picture was shot.

🤖 AI-drafted · unverified

What it is: NGC 5139, Omega Centauri, is the largest and brightest globular cluster orbiting the Milky Way, containing an estimated 10 million stars. From mid-northern latitudes it only skims the southern horizon.
Constellation: Centaurus
Distance: ~17,090 light-years
Apparent magnitude: 3.7
Angular size: ~36 arcminutes
Coordinates: RA 13h 26m 47s, Dec -47° 28′ 46″

This summary was generated by an AI assistant from general astronomical references, not from Jay's own notes on this specific image. Treat every detail above as a starting point for research, not settled fact.