Omega Centauri
NGC 5139, Caldwell 80 · Globular cluster in Centaurus
- Magnitude
- 3.7
- Size
- 36′
- Effective surface brightness
- 19.9 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Mar, Apr, May
- Declination
- -47°
- Filter
- None (broadband target)
The largest and brightest globular in the sky, ten million stars. Trivially easy from the southern hemisphere, invisible from the UK.
Low or below the horizon from northern Europe; best from the southern US southwards.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs | 84% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs | 43% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs | 50% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs | 27% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs | 36% | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs | 50% | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs | 48% | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 33% | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 9 min37 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 42% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 37% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 41% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 36% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 1.1× frame | 2 min30 subs | 2 min30 subs | 2 min34 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 1.1× frame | 5 min82 subs | 6 min93 subs | 9 min140 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 70% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 80% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
Imaging the globular cluster
Globular clusters are point sources packed tight, so they come quickly: the core resolves into stars within a handful of minutes on any smart scope. More time deepens the halo and pulls in the faint outer members. Use short subs so the core does not saturate into a white blob, and no filter.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Omega Centauri with the Celestron Origin Mark II