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M79

Melotte 34, NGC 1904

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberM79
NGC/IC NumberNGC 1904
Other DesignationsMelotte 34
ConstellationLepus
Right Ascension5h 24m 11s
Declination-24° 31' 27"
Distancec.42,100 light years
c.12,900 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +7.73
Absolute: -7.82
DiameterApparent: 9.6'
Actual: 118 light years
Optimum VisibilityDecember / January
NotesWhile most globular clusters exist as part of a halo around the Milky Way Galaxy, M79 is suspected to be an anomaly, instead belonging to the nearby irregular Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy. Nonetheless the immense gravity of the Milky Way is affecting the cluster, causing it to leave a trail of disrupted stars behind it as it travels through space.

An enormously distant globular cluster in the constellation of Lepus, near its border with Columba. Messier 79 is thought to be approximately 42,000 light years from the Solar System, a distance comparable to the radius of the Galactic disc.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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