Messier 53
Encyclopedia
Messier 53 is a globular cluster
in the Coma Berenices constellation. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode
in 1775. M53 is one of the more outlying globular clusters, being about 60,000 light-year
s away from the Galactic Center
, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light-years) from the Solar system
.
Globular cluster
A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. The name of this category of star cluster is...
in the Coma Berenices constellation. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode
Johann Elert Bode
Johann Elert Bode was a German astronomer known for his reformulation and popularization of the Titius-Bode law. Bode determined the orbit of Uranus and suggested the planet's name.-Biography:...
in 1775. M53 is one of the more outlying globular clusters, being about 60,000 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away from the Galactic Center
Galactic Center
The Galactic Center is the rotational center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is located at a distance of 8.33±0.35 kpc from the Earth in the direction of the constellations Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpius where the Milky Way appears brightest...
, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light-years) from the Solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.