NGC 104 (GC)
| R.A. | Dec. | Size | Mag | SB | Cnt.St | Type | Distance | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00h 24m 01.8s | -72° 04′ 45.8″ | 30.9′ | 4.1 | 10.3 | III | GC | -- | -- |
Background
NGC 104 is 47 Tucanae — the second-brightest globular cluster in the sky after ω Centauri, 4,000 light-years away in the foreground of the Small Magellanic Cloud. 13 billion years old; half a million stars. The blazing core and extended halo make it one of the great showpieces of the southern sky.
My Observing Notes
25-cm (Meade 10-inch LX200, The Coffee Grinder): The perennial crowd-pleaser. At 4.0 magnitude and 30' across, always a treat no matter how many times you have seen it. Caught the last views before it was lost to the tree line.(Friday, April 2025)
44-cm (Club 17.5-inch f/5): Used as a familiar bright alignment test for the Argo Navis on the Club's 17.5-inch Dob (first time using it after 17 years away). Always superb, but with the extra aperture it becomes electric — even at low power the core is peppered with sharply resolved pinpoints.(Saturday, September 2025)
References
Charts
