Astronomy:NGC 4372

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Short description: Globular cluster in the constellation Musca
NGC 4372
NGC 4372 in Musca.jpg
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ClassXII[1]
ConstellationMusca
Right ascension 12h 25m 45.43s[2]
Declination−72° 39′ 32.7″[2]
Distance18.9 kly (5.8 kpc)[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)9.85[2]
Apparent dimensions (V)18'
Physical characteristics
Absolute magnitude-8.52
Mass3.29×105[3] M
Radius49.5 ly
Metallicity[math]\displaystyle{ \begin{smallmatrix}\left[\ce{Fe}/\ce{H}\right]\end{smallmatrix} }[/math] = –2.33±0.08[4] dex
Estimated age12.54 Gyr[5]
Other designationsCaldwell 108
See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters

NGC 4372 (also known as Caldwell 108) is a globular cluster in the southern constellation of Musca. It is southwest of γ Muscae (Gamma Muscae) and west of the southern end of the Dark Doodad Nebula (Sandqvist 149), a 3° thin streak of black across a southern section of the great plane of the Milky Way.

NGC 4372 "is partially obscured by dust lanes, but still appears as a large object some 10 arcseconds in diameter," according to Astronomy of the Milky Way (2004).[6]

The cluster has highly peculiar chemistry similar to NGC 5694, being extremely iron-poor yet having super-solar abundances of magnesium and titanium.[4]

References

  1. Shapley, Harlow; Sawyer, Helen B. (August 1927), "A Classification of Globular Clusters", Harvard College Observatory Bulletin 849 (849): 11–14, Bibcode1927BHarO.849...11S. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "NGC 4372". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=NGC+4372. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Boyles, J. et al. (November 2011), "Young Radio Pulsars in Galactic Globular Clusters", The Astrophysical Journal 742 (1): 51, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/742/1/51, Bibcode2011ApJ...742...51B. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kovalev, Mikhail; Bergemann, Maria; Ting, Yuan-Sen; Rix, Hans-Walter (2019), "Non-LTE chemical abundances in Galactic open and globular clusters", Astronomy & Astrophysics 628: A54, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935861 
  5. Forbes, Duncan A.; Bridges, Terry (May 2010), "Accreted versus in situ Milky Way globular clusters", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 404 (3): 1203–1214, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16373.x, Bibcode2010MNRAS.404.1203F. 
  6. Inglis, Mike (2004). Astronomy of the Milky Way: Observer's Guide to the Southern Sky. Springer. p. 83. ISBN 1852337427. https://books.google.com/books?id=1r0qvMjSCGAC&pg=SA3-PA12. 

External links


Coordinates: Sky map 12h 26m 00s, −72° 40′ 00″