Messier 30 information

Messier 30
Messier 30
	Open cluster Messier 30 in Capricornus
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Class	V
Constellation	Capricornus
Right ascension	21h 40m 22.12s
Declination	–23° 10′ 47.5″
Distance	27.14 ± 0.65 kly (8.3 ± 0.20 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	7.2
Apparent dimensions (V)	12'.0
Physical characteristics
Mass	1.6×105 M☉
Metallicity	= –2.27 dex
Estimated age	12.93 Gyr
Other designations	M30, NGC 7099, GCl 122
	See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters

Messier 30 (also known as M30, NGC 7099, or the Jellyfish Cluster) is a globular cluster of stars in the southeast of the southern constellation of Capricornus, at about the declination of the Sun when the latter is at December solstice.^[a] It was discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier in 1764, who described it as a circular nebula without a star. In the New General Catalogue, compiled during the 1880s, it was described as a "remarkable globular, bright, large, slightly oval." It can be easily viewed with a pair of 10×50 binoculars,^[10] forming a patch of hazy light some 4 arcminutes wide that is slightly elongated along the east–west axis.^[10] With a larger instrument, individual stars can be resolved and the cluster will cover an angle of up to 12 arcminutes across graduating into a compressed core about one arcminute wide that has further star density within.^[11]

It is longest observable (opposed to the Sun) in the first half of August.^[b]^[10]

M30 is centered 27,100 light-years away from Earth with a roughly 2.5% margin of error,^[4] and is about 93 light-years across.^[11] The estimated age is roughly 12.9 billion years^[8] and it forms a mass of about 160,000 times the mass of the Sun (M_☉).^[6] The cluster is following a retrograde orbit (against the general flow) through the inner galactic halo, suggesting that it was acquired from a satellite galaxy rather than forming within the Milky Way.^[8] It is in this epoch 22.2 kly (6.8 kpc), from the center of the galaxy, compared to an estimated 26 kly (8.0 kpc) for the Sun.^[12]

The cluster has passed through a dynamic process called core collapse and now has a concentration of mass at its core of about a million times the Sun's mass per cubic parsec. This makes it one of the highest density regions in the Milky Way galaxy. Stars in such close proximity will experience a high rate of interactions that can create binary star systems, as well as a type of star called a blue straggler that is formed by mass transfer.^[3] A process of mass segregation may have caused the central region to gain a greater proportion of higher mass stars, creating a color gradient with increasing blueness toward the middle of the cluster.^[13]

^ Cite error: The named reference hcob849_11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference aj140_6_1830 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference apj657_1_286 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference aa555_36 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Messier 30". SEDS Messier Catalog. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference mnras392_1_113 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference apj742_1_51 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference mnras404_3_1203 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference simbad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference jbaa118_4_231 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference omeara1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference aj117_1_277 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference aj119_3_1259 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[hcob849_11-1] Cite error: The named reference hcob849_11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[aj140_6_1830-2] Cite error: The named reference aj140_6_1830 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[apj657_1_286-3] Cite error: The named reference apj657_1_286 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[aa555_36-4] Cite error: The named reference aa555_36 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "Messier 30". SEDS Messier Catalog. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2022.

[mnras392_1_113-6] Cite error: The named reference mnras392_1_113 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[apj742_1_51-7] Cite error: The named reference apj742_1_51 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[mnras404_3_1203-8] Cite error: The named reference mnras404_3_1203 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[simbad-9] Cite error: The named reference simbad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[jbaa118_4_231-11] Cite error: The named reference jbaa118_4_231 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[omeara1998-12] Cite error: The named reference omeara1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[aj117_1_277-14] Cite error: The named reference aj117_1_277 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[aj119_3_1259-15] Cite error: The named reference aj119_3_1259 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Messier 30 information

and 30 Related for: Messier 30 information

Messier 30

Mark Messier

Messier object

Capricornus

Trifid Nebula

August

Charles Messier

Messier 49

Messier 81

Messier 13

Messier 84

Messier 86

Messier 100

Messier 87

Stellar collision

Messier 80

Messier 46

Ring Nebula

Messier 12

Messyness

Messier 110

Pinwheel Galaxy

Messier 88

Messier 83

Messier 93

Messier 68

Messier 10

Messier 90

Messier 70

Owl Nebula