NGC 362

NGC 362 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana. It is one of the brightest globular clusters visible from the Southern Hemisphere and is easily observable with binoculars or a small telescope. It lies relatively close to the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), although it is not gravitationally bound to it.

NGC 362 is estimated to be approximately 10.7 billion years old, making it younger than most other globular clusters in the Milky Way. This relatively young age, combined with its high metallicity (abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium), makes it an interesting object for astronomers studying stellar evolution and the formation of globular clusters.

The cluster is located approximately 27,700 light-years away from Earth and has a diameter of around 100 light-years. It is a dense cluster, classified as a Class III in the Shapley-Sawyer Concentration Class. This means it is a relatively concentrated cluster with a well-defined core.

NGC 362 contains a large population of blue straggler stars, which are stars that appear hotter and more luminous than they should be for their age based on standard stellar evolution models. The presence of blue stragglers suggests that stellar interactions, such as collisions or mass transfer in binary systems, may be occurring within the cluster.

The cluster was discovered on August 1, 1826, by James Dunlop from Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.