NGC 299
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| NGC 299 | |
|---|---|
 Hubble Space Telescope image of the cluster NGC 299 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 00h 53m 24.74s[1] |
| Declination | −72° 11′ 47.6″[1] |
| Distance | 200 kly[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.73±0.12[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 0.9' x 0.9'[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | 600±200[4] M☉ |
| Estimated age | 26+15 −9 Myr[4] |
| Other designations | ESO 051-SC 005.[5] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Tucana |
NGC 299 is an open cluster of stars in the main body of the Small Magellanic Cloud[6] – a nearby dwarf galaxy. It is located in the southern constellation of Tucana, just under 200,000 light years distant from the Sun.[2] The cluster was discovered on August 12, 1834, by English astronomer John Herschel.[7]
The cluster is around 25 million years old with 600 times the mass of the Sun. It spans a radius of 24 ly (7.3 pc). The metallicity of the cluster, what astronomers term the abundance of elements more massive than helium, is almost identical to that of the Sun.[4] The cluster is old enough that the stellar winds from the most massive members has dispersed all of the original dust and gas. Hence, star formation has come to a halt.[6] Two eclipsing binaries and one probable Be star have been identified, but the cluster is lacking any low-amplitude pulsating variables.[8]
