M79

M79 or Messier 79 (also known as NGC 1904) is a globular cluster in the southern constellation Lepus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and is about 42,000 light-years away from Earth and 60,000 light years from the Galactic Center.

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Like Messier 54 (the other extragalactic globular on Messier’s list), it is believed to not be native to the Milky Way galaxy at all, but instead to the putative Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which is currently experiencing a very close encounter with our galaxy. This is, however, a contentious subject as astronomers are still debating the nature of the Canis Major dwarf galaxy itself. Messier 79 may also be part of the Gaia Sausage.

The cluster is being disrupted by the galactic tide, trailing a long tidal tail.

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Keywords: M79, Messier, globular cluster, Lepus