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Distance: 295,000 Light Years
Magnitude: 10.4
Size: 4.1 Arc Minutes
Cluster Type: Globular Class II
Telescope: 10” RC
Camera: QSI 683
Mount: AP 1100
Exposure: L 20×180 Bin 1, RGB 20×90 Bin2
NGC 2419 is a globular cluster in the constellation Lynx. It appears as a small globular cluster located at the outer edge of our galaxy. While it appears small and dim to us, it is actually very large and bright. At a distance of 295,000 light years its 4.1 arc minute size comes in at about 400 light years across. This is 3 times the size and 30 times the volume of the Omega Centauri cluster. This gives an estimated mass of 300-400 million solar masses, larger than a lot of dwarf galaxies. If NGC 2419 was a close as Omega Centauri it would appear as a magnitude 3 fuzz ball at 2 degrees in diameter.
NGC 2419 does contain variable stars and as of 2011 there were 101 confirmed. Variable stars come in many classifications; Pulsating stars, Eruptive stars, Eclipsing Binaries, and Rotating Variables with some of these classifications have several sub classifications also. Some of the variable stars found in NGC 2419 are RR Lyrae, long period variables, eclipsing binary variables, a Population II Cepheid, and a few others.
NGC 2419 also contains blue straggler stars. As of 2008 more than 230 blue straggler stars have been cataloged. Blue stragglers are older stars that are much hotter than the surrounding stars. This is unusual in globular clusters as all stars form at about the same time and therefore should be fairly uniform in age. One theory about blue straggler star formation says they are older stars that have merged together from gravitational interaction and as a result are hotter that the surrounding stars. Another possibility is the stripping of outer layers from the star from interaction with other stars.
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