NGC 376

NGC 376 is a young[2] open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Tucana. It was discovered on September 2, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. Dreyer, a Danish/British astronomer, described it as a "globular cluster, bright, small, round."[5] It is irregular in form, with a central spike.[2]

NGC 376
Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 376
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Right ascension 01h 03m 50.21s[1]
Declination−72° 49′ 33.5″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)10.90[1]
Physical characteristics
Mass3,400±400[2] M☉
Estimated age28±7[3] Myr
Other designationsESO 029-SC 029.[4]

The cluster is located in the eastern extension of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a nearby dwarf galaxy. It may have already lost 90% of its original mass and is in the process of dissolving into the SMC. As a result it has achieved a relatively low concentration of stars and is no longer in dynamic equilibrium. The cluster is about 28[3] million years old and contains ~3,400 times the mass of the Sun.[2] It has a core radius of 7.6 ± 0.3 ly and a tidal radius of 19.2 ± 0.7 ly.[3]

References
  1. Rafelski, Marc; Zaritsky, Dennis (June 2005). "The Star Clusters of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Age Distribution". The Astronomical Journal. 129 (6): 2701–2713. arXiv:astro-ph/0408186. Bibcode:2005AJ....129.2701R. doi:10.1086/424938.
  2. Perren, G. I.; et al. (June 2017). "Astrophysical properties of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds homogeneously estimated by ASteCA". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 602: 42. arXiv:1701.08640. Bibcode:2017A&A...602A..89P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629520. A89.
  3. Sabbi, E.; et al. (September 2011). "Is the Young Star Cluster NGC 376 Dissolving in the Field of the Small Magellanic Cloud?". The Astrophysical Journal. 739 (1): 10. arXiv:1106.5974. Bibcode:2011ApJ...739...15S. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/739/1/15. 15.
  4. "NGC 376". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 350 - 399". Cseligman. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
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