Credit: Aldo Zanetti
Astronomical and Imaging Data
| RA: | 19h 11m 12.01s |
| DEC: | +01° 01′ 49.7″ |
| Mag: | 8.88 |
| Diameter: | 9.6′ |
| Const: | Aql |
| OTA | RC 12″ |
| Focal Length | 2432 |
| Camera | PlayerOne Poseidon M |
| Site | Central Italy |
| Sky Quality | Bortle 4 |
Useful Informations
NGC 6760 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Aquila. NGC 6760 is a relatively metal-rich cluster, with a metallicity of approximately -0.40 dex. This is higher than most globular clusters, which are typically very metal-poor, making it somewhat unusual.
Physical Characteristics
- Distance: Approximately 24,100 light-years (7.4 kiloparsecs) from Earth.
- Apparent Magnitude: The visual magnitude is around 8.8, making it visible with a small telescope or a good pair of binoculars under dark skies.
- Size: Its apparent size is about 9.6 arcminutes in diameter, which translates to a physical diameter of roughly 54 light-years.
- Mass: The cluster has a mass of about 3.57×105 solar masses, meaning it contains a few hundred thousand stars.
- Concentration: It is classified as a Class IX globular cluster on the Shapley–Sawyer Concentration Scale, indicating it has a relatively low stellar concentration and is not very condensed toward its center.
Stellar Populations and Dynamics
NGC 6760 is known to host several notable stellar populations and phenomena, including:
- Millisecond Pulsars: At least two millisecond pulsars have been identified within the cluster. These are old, rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation.
- Blue Stragglers: The cluster contains a number of blue straggler stars. These are stars in open or globular clusters that appear younger and bluer than other stars in the same cluster, which is thought to be the result of stellar mergers or mass transfer in a binary system.
- Oosterhoff Type I: Despite its relatively low metallicity, it is classified as an Oosterhoff Type I cluster. Oosterhoff types are a classification system for globular clusters based on the properties of their RR Lyrae variable stars. This designation means the average period of its RR Lyrae variable stars is shorter than in Oosterhoff Type II clusters.
Galactic Interaction
NGC 6760 is part of the Milky Way’s halo and orbits the galactic center. It may have played a role in the formation of the open cluster Ruprecht 127 during a close passage through the galactic disk about 71 million years ago, as its gravitational influence could have disrupted the formation of stars in that region. Furthermore, it is tidally disrupting and shedding stars, forming a stellar stream that extends tens of thousands of light-years.