Always smoething new! NGC 121

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

After nearly 50 years on and off in this hobby, there is always something new. I noted recently in the Deep Sky Hunter Atlas, that 47 Tuc has a small GC (NGC121) nearby. Last night at my observing spot 20km west of Whyalla, I optimistically put my 106mm refractor on the area and there it was, plain as day in a 7mm nagler at 98x! For years I had been observing and showing magnificent 47 Tuc, only now have I seen that it has a little mate just nearby. Made the whole night very worthwhile.

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

NGC 121 is a globular, but it is associated with the SMC rather than with our own Galaxy.

It is likely to be the oldest cluster in the SMC, but, interestingly, it is a couple of billion years younger than some of the globulars in our own galaxy.