Deep space
47 Tucanae
Globular cluster · C106 · NGC 104
Globular cluster in Tucana
Photo: ESO/M.-R. Cioni/VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Surv · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
47 Tucanae is a globular cluster located in the constellation of Tucana. It is about 4.45 ± 0.01 kpc (14,500 ± 32.6 ly) from Earth, and 120 light years in diameter. 47 Tuc can be seen with the naked eye, with an apparent magnitude of 4.1. It appears about 44 arcminutes across including its far outreaches. Due to its far southern location, 18° from the south celestial pole, it was not catalogued by European astronomers until the 1750s, when the cluster was first identified by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille from South Africa.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~14,700 light-years
Apparent mag.
+4
Apparent size
31.8′
Best seen with
Naked eye
Catalogue
C106 · NGC 104
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 106 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 104.
- Found in the constellation Tucana.
- Bright enough to see with the naked eye.
