Credit: Armen Akopian
Astronomical and Imaging Data
| RA: | 14h 29m 37.23s |
| DEC: | -05° 58′ 35.1″ |
| MAG: | 9.47 |
| Diameter: | 5.5′ |
| Const: | Vir |
| OTA | Vixed 103ED |
| Focal Length | 800mm |
| Camera | ASI294MM |
| Site | San Antonio, TX, United States |
| Sky Quality | Bortle 7 |
Useful Informations
NGC 5634 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Virgo. It is a relatively faint and distant cluster whose origin is the subject of ongoing research, with evidence suggesting it was not originally a part of the Milky Way but was later captured.
Physical Characteristics
- Distance: Located approximately 82,000 light-years from Earth and about 69,000 light-years from the Galactic Center, NGC 5634 is a member of the outer Galactic halo.
- Apparent Magnitude: With an apparent magnitude of 9.47, it is a faint object that requires a moderate telescope for observation.
- Mass and Age: The cluster has an estimated mass of about 2.5×105 solar masses and is considered to be very old, with an age of around 12.8 billion years.
- Concentration: NGC 5634 is a Shapley-Sawyer Concentration Class IV cluster, indicating a fairly dense, but not extremely concentrated, core.
Origin and Kinematics
NGC 5634 is best known for its possible association with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, a small satellite galaxy currently being tidally disrupted by the Milky Way. Early studies suggested that the cluster was a member of this dwarf galaxy and was “stolen” by the Milky Way’s gravitational pull.
However, more recent research has challenged this theory. Detailed analysis of its orbit and kinematics suggests that NGC 5634’s orbital characteristics are more consistent with other merger events, such as the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus or Helmi streams. This implies that while the cluster was likely accreted from another galaxy, it may not be from the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy.