Palomar 4, Ursa Major Dwarf

RA:

11:29:16.80

Dec:

+28:58:24.9

Distance from Sun:

354.4 kly

Distance from Galactic Center:

362.5 kly

Apparent Diameter:

2.1 arc min

Brightness:

14.20 mag vis

Radial Velocity:

+74.5 +/- 2.1 km/s

Diameter:

ly

Abs. Mag:

-3.11 Mag vis

Palomar 4 was discovered by E.P. Hubble in 1949, and independently found by A.G. Wilson one year later, in 1950 (A.G. Wilson 1955). Wilson named it the Ursa Major Globular Cluster. He published its discovery together with that of Palomar 3, Palomar 5 and Palomar 13, and two new Local Group galaxies. G.O. Abell (1955) cataloged them with their Palomar numbers.

Apparently unaware or unsure about its classification as a globular, it was temporarily taken for a nearby dwarf galaxy, of elliptical or spheroidal type, named the Ursa Major Dwarf, and suspected to be a Local Group member candidate because of its resolution into stars.

Links:

• The Palomar Globulars, by Barbara Wilson, Doug Snyder and Jim Shields
• Extreme Halo Globulars, by Barbara Wilson
• Palomar 4, SkyTools Object, Skyhound
• Catalog of Variable Stars in Palomar 4 (Christine Clement)

• George O. Abell, 1955. Globular Clusters and Planetary Nebulae Discovered on the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 67, No. 397, p. 258 (August 1955) [ADS: 1955PASP...67..258A]
• A.G. Wilson, 1955. Sculptor-Type Systems in the Local Group of Galaxies. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 67, No. 394, pp. 27-29 (02/1955) [ADS: 1955PASP...67...27W]