Credit: Armen Akopian
Astronomical and Imaging Data
| RA: | 18h 08m 02.36s |
| DEC: | -43° 42′ 53.6″ |
| MAG: | 6.30 |
| Diameter: | 15.1′ |
| Const: | CrA |
| OTA | ASA 1000RC |
| Focal Length | 6500mm |
| Camera | FLI PL16803 |
| Site | El Sauce, Chile |
| Sky Quality | Bortle 1 |
Useful Informations
NGC 6541, also known as Caldwell 78, is a globular cluster located in the southern constellation of Corona Australis (The Southern Crown) . It’s a dense, ancient sphere of stars, and is considered a metal-poor inner halo cluster, meaning its stars contain a lower abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium compared to our Sun.
Physical Characteristics
- Type: Globular Cluster (Class III concentration, meaning it has a medium-high stellar density).
- Distance: Approximately 24,800 light-years (7.6 kpc) from Earth.
- Location in Galaxy: It orbits within the central region of the Milky Way, about 7,200 light-years from the Galactic Center.
- Age: Estimated to be around 12.9 billion years old, making it one of the oldest known objects in our galaxy.
- Mass: It has a mass of about 572,000 times the mass of the Sun (5.72×105M☉).
- Stellar Population: The cluster contains a significant number of blue straggler stars, which are stars that appear younger and hotter than their peers, likely formed from stellar collisions or mass transfer between binary stars.