FSR 0584

RA:

02 : 27 : 15

Dec:

+61 : 37 : 28

Distance from Sun:

4.6 kly

Distance from Galactic Center:

kly

Apparent Diameter:

11 arc min

Brightness:

mag

Radial Velocity:

Diameter:

15 ly

Abs. Mag:

This cluster was discovered in 2006 by Dirk Froebrich, Aleks Scholz, and C.J. Raftery within a systematic survey using the 2MASS infrared telescope, and listed under number 0584, or FSR 0584, in their catalog (Froebrich et.al. 2007). These authors list the object as an open cluster candidate. However, Bica et.al. (2007) find it more likely to be a halo globular cluster currently approaching the Galactic plane.

This globular is a bit difficult to observe because it is projected onto the large star-forming region W3. It has approached the Galactic plane to about 60 light-years, and is currently quite close to us at only 4,600+/-600 ly. This distance would probably make it the nearest globular cluster, unless it should prove to be an old open cluster after all.

References

• E. Bica, C. Bonatto, S. Ortolani, and B. Barbuy, 2007. FSR 584 - a new globular cluster in the Galaxy? Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 472, Issue 2, pp.483-488 (September 2007) [ADS: 2007A&A...472..483B] - [Preprint: arXiv:0709.3315[astro-ph]]
• D. Froebrich, A. Scholz and C.J. Raftery, 2007. A systematic survey for infrared star clusters with |b| < 20 deg using 2MASS. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 374, p. 399 (2007) [ADS: 2007MNRAS.374..399F] - [Preprint: astro-ph/0610146]