What is Omega Centauri?
Q: What is Omega Centauri?
A: Omega Centauri (ω Cen or NGC 5139) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Centaurus. It is 15,800 light-years (4,850 pc) away and is the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way.
Q: How far away from Earth is Omega Centauri?
A: Omega Centauri is 15,800 light-years (4,850 pc) away from Earth.
Q: How large is Omega Centauri?
A: Omega Centauri has a diameter of about 150 light-years and contains around 10 million stars with a total mass equivalent to 4 million solar masses.
Q: Is it possible that Omega Centauri has a different origin than other galactic globular clusters?
A: Yes, it may be possible that Omega Centauri has a different origin than other galactic globular clusters as it appears to be significantly different from them. It may be a core remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy.
Q: When was Omega Centauri first catalogued by Ptolemy?
A: Ptolemy catalogued this object in his Almagest in 150 A.D.
Q: Who rediscovered this object in 1677?
A: English astronomer Edmond Halley rediscovered this object in 1677, listing it as a non-stellar object.
Q: Is there any other brighter and more massive known globular cluster than Omega Centuari in the Local Group of galaxies?
A:No, Of all the globular clusters in the Local Group of galaxies, only Mayall II (orbiting the Andromeda Galaxy) is brighter and more massive than Omega Centuari .
