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M79
globular cluster in Lepus
M79 is a globular cluster in Lepus, a winter sky target unusual for a globular. It is thought to have originated in a dwarf galaxy that the Milky Way absorbed, rather than forming with our own galaxy.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- M79
- Type
- globular cluster
- Constellation
- Lepus
- Size
- 9′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 7.7
- Distance
- about 42,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Dec
- Typical prime months
- Sep to Feb
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband)
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How to image M79
- At 9 arcminutes it needs 1,000 to 1,500 mm to be more than a small ball.
- Dec -24 means it is low from most of the northern hemisphere in winter.
- Its lonely part of the sky makes a clean background.
Framing: what focal length?
M79 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 11% |
| 2,000 mm | about 22% |
| 3,000 mm | about 33% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M79 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 10° | Stays low |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 20° | Stays low |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 30° | Workable |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 40° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 80° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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