M 79 is a globular cluster in an unusual place. Most globular clusters
orbit around the central bulge of our galaxy. However, M 79 is farther from
the galactic center than we are, and so its location in the constellation
Lepus is in a globular-poor part of the sky. It may in fact belong to the
Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way which
is being drawn in and absorbed.

Image Data:
Camera: Canon 350 XT (modified)
Exposure: ISO 800, 2 minutes x 30
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader MPCC, LPS filter