NGC 288

NGC 288 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sculptor. Its visual appearance was described by John Dreyer in 1888.^[7] It is located about 1.8° southeast of the galaxy NGC 253, 37′ north-northeast of the South Galactic Pole, 15′ south-southeast of a 9th magnitude star, and encompassed by a half-circular chain of stars that opens on its southwest side.^[1] It can be observed through binoculars.^[1] It is not very concentrated and has a well resolved, large 3′ dense core that is surrounded by a much more diffuse and irregular 9′ diameter ring.^[1] Peripheral members extend farther outward towards the south and especially southwest.^[1]

NGC 288
NGC 288 by Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Class	X[1]
Constellation	Sculptor
Right ascension	00h 52m 45.24s[2]
Declination	–26° 34′ 57.4″[2]
Distance	29.22 ± 0.16 kly (8.96 ± 0.05 kpc)[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)	9.37[4]
Apparent dimensions (V)	13′.8[1]
Physical characteristics
Mass	4.8×104[5] M☉
Metallicity	${\displaystyle {\begin{smallmatrix}\left[{\ce {Fe}}/{\ce {H}}\right]\end{smallmatrix}}}$ = –1.14[6] dex
Estimated age	13.5 ± 1.1 Gyr[3]
Other designations	Melotte 3[4]
See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters