Palomar 1 is a globular cluster in Cepheus, 36,500 light-years away
Palomar 1 is a globular cluster in the constellation Cepheus , 36,500 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.2 and spans 2.8′ of sky, about 30 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in December.
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 Palomar 1 from Polaris
Polaris
Palomar 1
CEPHEUS
Palomar 1 lies 9.7° south of Polaris , the magnitude 2.0 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
Palomar 1 is highest in the evening in December
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 70° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 70° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -30° 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 northern hemisphere and south to about 10°S, and never sets north of 10°N.
Palomar 1 is 36,500 light-years away
The light seen from Palomar 1 tonight left it about 36,500 years ago. It ranks 60 of 78 by distance among the star clusters on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Baumgardt and Vasiliev 2021.
Objects within 6° of Palomar 1
No other Messier, Caldwell or Herschel 400 object lies within 6°.
Palomar 1 catalog data
Field Value
Type globular cluster Constellation Cepheus Right ascension (J2000) 03h 33.3m Declination (J2000) +79° 35′ Magnitude 13.2 Apparent size 2.8′ True size 30 light-years Distance 36,500 light-years (Baumgardt and Vasiliev 2021) Best month December Best with Telescope
