NGC 6553
NGC 6553 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. NGC 6553 has an apparent magnitude of about 8th magnitude with an apparent diameter of 8.2 arcminutes.[2] Its Shapley–Sawyer Concentration Class is XI,[2] meaning the star concentration is very loose even at the center; it has stars of magnitude 20 and dimmer. It is located just over a degree southeast of Messier 8, the Lagoon Nebula.
| NGC 6553 | |
|---|---|
|  The globular cluster NGC 6553 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Class | V | 
| Constellation | Sagittarius | 
| Right ascension | 18h 09m 15.68s[1] | 
| Declination | −25° 54′ 27.9″[1] | 
| Distance | 19.6 kly (6.01 kpc)[1] | 
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.06[2] | 
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 4.1' x 4.1'[2] | 
| Metallicity | = -0.18[3] dex | 
| Other designations | GCl 88, C 1806-259[1] | 
Unlike common globular clusters, NGC 6553 is relatively metal-rich, and there is evidence of at least two periods of star formation.[4] Due to a complex star-forming record, the stars in the cluster are differing in composition, most notably in concentrations of sodium and aluminium.[5]
NGC 6553 is very similar in composition to NGC 6528, suggesting an origin in a similar environment.[6]
References
    
- "NGC 6553". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- "NGC 6553". Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- "A Galactic Globular Clusters Database: NGC 6553". Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- Two Groups of Red Giants with Distinct Chemical Abundances in the Bulge Globular Cluster NGC 6553 Through the Eyes of APOGEE, 2016, arXiv:1610.06763
- The vertical Na-O relation in the bulge globular cluster NGC 6553, 2019, arXiv:1912.03742
- Chemical analysis of NGC 6528: one of the most metal-rich bulge globular clusters, 2018, arXiv:1809.04164
