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| Catalogue and alternative designations | E3,
ESO 37-1
|
| Type | Globular Cluster |
| Position | 09 20 59, -77 16 57 |
| Constellation | Chamaeleon |
| Camera and Telescope | STXL6303 and 36.8 cm RCOS Ritchey Chretien |
| Focal Ratio | F9 |
| Exposure Details | LRGB image using Astrodon filters. L=165 minutes, R=G=B=180 minutes. All unbinned |
| Description | Discovered
in 1976, E
3 is one of the strangest
globular clusters in the milky
way and has been called a
"dying" globular
cluster because it is thought
that many of its stars are being
stripped away by tidal action. It was for a long
time thought to be an open
cluster but is now definitely
identified as a
globular. With a
magnitude of 11.4 it is a fairly
faint object.
The E 3 stellar system is certainly one of the most intriguing globular clusters in the Galaxy. Its old age and high metallicity is a peculiar combination, only seen in a handful of objects like the far more conspicuous NGC 104 (47 Tucanae) that may share a stellar stream with it. |