NGC 121 is a globular cluster in Tucana
NGC 121 (ESO 050-012) is a globular cluster in the constellation Tucana . It shines at magnitude 11.2 and spans 3.8′ × 3.1′. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in November.
Globular cluster: a ball of 100,000 to a few million old stars packed into a sphere about 100 light-years across. About 160 orbit the Milky Way, most of them in the halo around its center.
Finding NGC 121 from β Hyi
β Hyi
NGC 121
TUCANA
NGC 121 lies 5.7° north of β Hyi , the magnitude 2.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 121 is highest in the evening in November
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -56° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -65° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -74° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -78° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -73° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -55° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -48° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -56° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -65° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -68° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -56° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -47° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -55° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -58° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -48° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -37° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 36° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 38° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 48° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 45° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 48° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 55° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 58° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 55° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 18°N, and never sets south of 18°S.
The distance to NGC 121 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 121
52 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 104 47 Tucanae, globular cluster, 35′ NGC 152, open cluster, 1.7° NGC 299, open cluster, 2.2° NGC 306, open cluster, 2.2° NGC 242, open cluster, 2.3° NGC 292 Small Magellanic Cloud, barred spiral galaxy, 2.4° NGC 256, open cluster, 2.4° NGC 330, open cluster, 2.5°
NGC 121 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Tucana Designations NGC 121, ESO 050-012, 2MASX J00264970-7132077 Type globular cluster Right ascension (J2000) 00h 26.8m Declination (J2000) -71° 32′ Magnitude 11.2 (B 11.0) Apparent size 3.8′ × 3.1′ Position angle 80° Best with Telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 1 to 500
