NGC 5466 - Globular Cluster in Bootes

Object: NGC 5466 - Globular Cluster in Bootes

Date: July 27, 2021 - Location: Davis Mountains west of Fort Davis, TX
Telescope: RC-10 inch Camera: Apogee Alta F8300M Mount: Paramount MX
Exposure: LRGB Total Exposure = 120 min. (30 X 1 min. Bin 1 x 1 each)

Click on the image below to view at higher resolution.

NGC 5466 ¹

Discovered May 17, 1784 by William Herschel.

Located in the constellation Bootes, NGC 5466 is a very loose globular cluster with a concentration class of XII. This class is a measure of the concentration of stars within the cluster. The XII designation is the least concentrated of all cluster classes.

Several RR Lyrae stars have been observed in the cluster. These stars are variable and can be used to determine the distance to the cluster. Photometric studies of these variables have determined the cluster is approximately 52,000 (16 kpc +/- .6 kpc) light years from the Earth. Along with blue stragglers, there is a population of blue horizontal branch stars within the cluster. Observations of the cluster stars have yielded an estimated the age of the cluster to be 13.57 billion years.

Member of the Dark Sky Observatory Collaborative

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5466