Astronz Object of the Week: NGC 2808

NGC 2808 is a globular cluster located about 30,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Carina. It is one of the most massive clusters in the Milky Way and contains over a million stars.

Unlike most globular clusters, which typically contain stars from a single formation period, NGC 2808 has at least three distinct stellar populations. This makes it an important object for studying the formation and evolution of globular clusters and the early history of the galaxy.

Through a telescope, NGC 2808 appears as a compact, bright core with a gradually fading halo. Under good conditions, it starts to resolve into individual stars with an aperture of around 8 inches or more. The cluster is best observed from the Southern Hemisphere during the autumn and winter months.

Located in a rich region of the sky near Eta Carinae and the Carina Nebula, it is worth visiting if you are scanning this part of the sky.

For observational planning, its coordinates are:
RA: 09h 12m 03s
Dec: –64° 51′ 48″