Globular Cluster NGC 4833

NGC 4833
NGC 4833: Image taken with Hubble Space Telescope. © ESA/Hubble & NASA [261]

History

This globular cluster was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1751-1752. He was observing during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope with a small ½-inch telescope at 8x magnification that he was mainly using for measuring star positions. He listed it as I-4 and noted: «It resembles a small, faint comet.» [8]

On 29 April 1826 this globular cluster was observed by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop with his 9-inch f/12 speculum reflector at his home in Parramatta (NSW) in Australia. He listed it as Δ 164, observed it five times and wrote: «(12 Muscae, Bode.) This is a pretty bright round nebula, about 4' diameter, moderately condensed to the centre. This, with the sweeping power, has the appearance of a globe of numerous matter with very small stars in the north following margin. But with a power sufficient to resolve it, the globular appearance vanishes in a very considerable degree; and the brightest and most condensed part is to the preceding side of the centre, with the stars considerably scattered on the north following side. Resolvable into stars of mixt small magnitudes.» [50]

John Herschel listed the cluster as h 3444 and observed it twice. On 1 April 1835 (sweep 567) he noted: «Globular cluster, bright, large, round, gradually brighter in the middle, stars 14th mag, and one 7th mag north-preceding the centre; a fine object.» On 17 May in the same year he observed it again and wrote: «Globular cluster, pretty bright, large, pretty rich, at first gradually, then very suddenly pretty much brighter middle; diameter of the bright part 3', of the loose stars 10'; stars 12..16th mag, and one large one 7th mag, 3' or 4' north of the centre.» [11]

Physical Properties

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 4833
TypeGCL (VIII)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)12h 59m 35.0s
Declination (J2000.0)-70° 52' 27"
Diameter14 arcmin
Visual magnitude8.4 mag
Metric Distance6.600 kpc
Dreyer Descriptionglobular, B, L, R, g, vsbM, st 12
Identification, Remarksh 3444; GC 3325; GCL 21; ESO 65-SC4

Finder Chart

The globular cluster NGC 4833 can be found in the constellation Musca. Unfortunately it is not visible from Europe. On 6 April it in opposition with the Sun and is therefore highest in the sky at local midnight.

Musca: Globular Cluster NGC 4833
Finder Chart Globular Cluster NGC 4833
never
15:28 | -27.8°
always
Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. Times are shown for timezone UTC, Latitude 46.7996°, Longitude 8.23225°, Horizon height 5°, Date 2025-08-07. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 20°

References

  • [8] Sur les Étoiles Néebuleuses Du Ciel Austral; l'Abbe de la Caille; Mémoires de l'Académie Royale Des Sciences, 1755, page 194; gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k35533
  • [11] Results of astronomical observations made during the years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8, at the Cape of Good Hope ... : being the completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825; Herschel, John F. W.; London: published by Smith, Elder and Co., 1847; DOI:10.3931/e-rara-22242
  • [50] VIII. A catalogue of nebulæ and clusters of stars in the southern hemisphere, observed at Paramatta in New South Wales, by James Dunlop, Esq. In a letter addressed to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Bart. K. C. B. late Governor of New South Wales. Presented to the Royal Society by John Frederick William Herschel, Esq. Vice President; James Dunlop; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Volume 118, pages 113-151, published 1 January 1828; DOI:10.1098/rstl.1828.0010
  • [149] SkySafari 6 Pro, Simulation Curriculum; skysafariastronomy.com
  • [160] The STScI Digitized Sky Survey; archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
  • [261] Explore - The Night Sky | Hubble’s Caldwell Catalog; nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-caldwell-catalog; 2021-02-08
  • [277] Historische Deep-Sky Kataloge; Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke; klima-luft.de/steinicke; 2021-02-17