(ORDO NEWS) — An international team of astronomers has analyzed the galactic globular cluster NGC 6355.
They provide important information about the properties and chemical composition of this cluster.
NGC 6355 (also known as GCl-63 or ESO 519-SC15) lies about 28,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus. This globular cluster has been studied since the 1900s.
Previous observations of NGC 6355 have shown it to have a relatively high mass of about 101,000 solar masses.
Its redness is at 0.82 and its metallicity is approximately -1.46. The absolute age of the cluster is estimated at 13.2 billion years.
Recently, a team of astronomers led by Stefano O. Sousa from the University of São Paulo in Brazil has been exploring NGC 6355.
The team analyzed the globular cluster in the context of the evolution of the galactic bulge. The scientists conducted a deep and thorough analysis, including photometry, chemical content and dynamics.
The study found that NGC 6355 has a metallicity of -1.39. It turned out that this is one of the most metal-poor clusters in the galactic bulge.
The average ratio of alpha elements to iron in NGC 6355 was 0.37, indicating enrichment in type II supernovae.
The study confirmed that NGC 6355 is about 13.2 billion years old. Astronomers have found that the cluster is closer than previously thought, about 27,800 light-years away.
Moreover, the orbital parameters of NGC 6355 and its extinction coefficient of 2.84 indicate that the cluster is currently limited by the volume of the galactic bulge.
The authors of the article came to the conclusion that this cluster originated from the progenitor of the bulge, however, additional spectroscopic data from the stars of the cluster are required to confirm this.
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