| Palomar 5 | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Class | XII |
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Right ascension | 15h 16m 05.3s[1] |
| Declination | –00° 06′ 41″[1] |
| Distance | 76 kly (23 kpc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +11.75 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 6.9′ |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | 3.00×104[3] M☉ |
| Radius | 76 ly[4] |
| Estimated age | 11.5±1.0 Gyr[5] |
| Notable features | Erroneously thought to be a dwarf galaxy |
| Other designations | UGC 9792, GCl 32[1] |
| See also:Globular cluster,List of globular clusters | |
Palomar 5 is aglobular cluster in the constellationSerpens and a member of thePalomar Globular Clusters group. It was discovered byWalter Baade in 1950, and independently found again byAlbert George Wilson in 1955. After the initial name of Serpens, it was subsequently catalogued as Palomar 5.
There is a process of disruption acting on this cluster because of the gravitation of theMilky Way – in fact there are many stars leaving this cluster in the form of astellar stream. The stream has a mass of 5000 solar masses and is 30,000 light years long.[6] The cluster is currently 60.6 kly (18.6 kpc) from theGalactic Center. It shows a noticeable amount of flattening, with an aspect ratio of0.62 ± 0.23 between its semimajor axis and semiminor axis.[7]