NGC 362 (also known as Caldwell 104) is a
globular cluster located in the
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the e ...
Tucana in the
Southern Hemisphere, slightly north of the
Small Magellanic Cloud
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), or Nubecula Minor, is a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way. Classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy, the SMC has a D25 isophotal diameter of about , and contains several hundred million stars. It has a total mass of ...
, to which it is completely unrelated. It was discovered on August 1, 1826 by
James Dunlop.
It is visible to the naked eye in dark skies, and is an impressive sight in a telescope, although it is somewhat overshadowed by its larger and brighter neighbour
47 Tucanae
47 Tucanae, or 47 Tuc (also designated NGC 104) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana. It is about away from Earth, and 120 light years in diameter. 47 Tuc can be seen with the naked eye, with an apparent magnitude of 4.1. It ...
.
The stars of NGC 362 have an average
metallicity
In astronomy, metallicity is the abundance of elements present in an object that are heavier than hydrogen and helium. Most of the normal physical matter in the Universe is either hydrogen or helium, and astronomers use the word ''"metals"'' as a ...
higher than the stars in most globulars. This implies that NGC 362 is a relatively young globular cluster.
It also has an overabundance of binary stars, and an exceptionally tight core 13
light-year
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...
s in diameter.
The orbit of NGC 362 is highly eccentric, taking it to within 3,260 light-years of the
Galactic Center.
See also
*
List of globular clusters
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 362
104b
18260801
Globular clusters
0362
Tucana (constellation)
Discoveries by James Dunlop