NGC 6638

Kugelsternhaufen
NGC 6638
Aufnahme des Zentrums des Sternhaufens mithilfe des Hubble-Weltraumteleskops
(c) Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen, CC BY 4.0
Aufnahme des Zentrums des Sternhaufens mithilfe des Hubble-Weltraumteleskops
AladinLite
SternbildSchütze
Position
Äquinoktium: J2000.0, Epoche: J2000.0
Rektaszension18h 30m 56,2s [1]
Deklination−25° 29′ 47″ [1]
Erscheinungsbild
KonzentrationsklasseVI [2]
Helligkeit (visuell)9,2 mag [2]
Winkelausdehnung7,3' [2]
Physikalische Daten
Entfernung30,6 kLj
Geschichte
EntdeckungWilliam Herschel
Entdeckungsdatum12. Juli 1784
Katalogbezeichnungen
 NGC 6638 • C 1827-255, GCl 95, • GCl 95 • ESO 522-SC30 • GC 4412 • Bennett 111, I 51, h 3748

NGC 6638 ist ein Kugelsternhaufen im Sternbild Schütze. Er ist optisch kompakt und befindet sich etwa 40 Bogenminuten südöstlich von Lambda Sagittarii.[3] Der Kugelsternhaufen wurde im Jahr 1784 von dem Astronomen William Herschel mit seinem 18,7-Zoll-Teleskop entdeckt und die Entdeckung später im New General Catalogue verzeichnet.[4]

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

  1. ↑ NASA/IPAC EXTRAGALACTIC DATABASE
  2. ↑ a b c SEDS: NGC 6638
  3. ↑ Steve O’Meara: Herschel 400 Observing Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85893-9, S. 234– (google.com).
  4. ↑ Seligman

Auf dieser Seite verwendete Medien

NGC6638 - HST - Potw2231a.jpg
(c) Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen, CC BY 4.0
Star-Studded Skyfield


This star-studded image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6638 in the constellation Sagittarius. The star-strewn observation highlights the density of stars at the heart of globular clusters, which are stable, tightly bound clusters of tens of thousands to millions of stars. To capture the data in this image, Hubble used two of its cutting-edge astronomical instruments: Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Hubble revolutionised the study of globular clusters, as it is almost impossible to clearly distinguish the stars in globular clusters with ground-based telescopes. The blurring caused by Earth’s atmosphere makes it impossible to tell one star from another, but from Hubble’s location in low Earth orbit the atmosphere no longer poses a problem. As a result, Hubble has been used to study what kind of stars globular clusters are made up of, how they evolve, and the role of gravity in these dense systems.

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will further our understanding of globular clusters by peering into those globular clusters that are currently obscured by dust. Webb will predominantly observe at infrared wavelengths, which are less affected by the gas and dust surrounding newborn stars. This will allow astronomers to inspect star clusters that are freshly formed, providing insights into stellar populations before they have a chance to evolve.

Credit:

ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen