NGC 2419: Intergalactic Wanderer
Explanation:
Stars of the globular cluster NGC 2419 are packed into this
Hubble
Space Telescope
field of view
toward the mostly stealthy constellation
Lynx.
The two brighter spiky stars near the edge of the frame are
within our own galaxy.
NGC 2419
itself is remote though, some 300,000 light-years away.
In comparison, the Milky Way's satellite galaxy, the
Large Magellanic Cloud, is only
about 160,000 light-years distant.
Roughly similar to other large globular star clusters like
Omega Centauri, NGC 2419
is intrinsically bright, but appears faint because
it is so far away.
Its extreme distance makes it difficult to
study
and compare its properties with other
globular clusters that roam the halo of
our Milky Way galaxy.
Sometimes called "the Intergalactic Wanderer",
NGC 2419 really
does seem to have come from beyond the Milky Way.
Measurements
of the cluster's motion through space suggest
it once belonged to the
Sagittarius
dwarf spheroidal galaxy,
another small satellite galaxy being disrupted by repeated encounters
with the much larger Milky Way.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
