Sections

Catalogues

Show the direction and distance to this star cluster on the Galactic Map.

Proper Name	None
Caldwell Number	C106
NGC/IC Number	NGC 104
Other Designations	47 Tucanae, Xi Tucanae, HR 95 (all originally stellar designations); Melotte 1
Constellation	Tucana
Right Ascension	0h 24m 5s
Declination	-72° 4' 53"
Distance	c.14,400 light years c.4,400 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +4.0 Absolute: -9.3
Diameter	Apparent: 50' Actual: c.240 light years
Optimum Visibility	October (Usually visible from southern latitudes)
Notes	By a series of misunderstandings and misidentifications, this object acquired the stellar designations Xi Tucanae and 47 Tucanae. The latter designation is still commonly used, though the object is now known to be a globular cluster (and indeed the second brightest such cluster in the sky, after Omega Centauri).

A spherical cloud of very ancient stars, the globular cluster 47 Tucanae lies just outside the disc of our Milky Way galaxy. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

A Globular Cluster so bright it can be seen with the naked eye, 47 Tucanae lies roughly 14,400 light years from Earth, in approximately the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

v2.1g