Posts Tagged globular clusters
Millions of Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Gordon Mandell
And to think, all of these are just one clump in a star-filled sky…
Featured in this sharp telescopic image, globular star cluster Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) is some 15,000 light-years away. Some 150 light-years in diameter, the cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun. Omega Cen is the largest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.
Stars and Dust
Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Julio (Astronomia Pampeana)
I love the colors in this: blues, browns against an almost-burgundy purple background. Lovely.
Cosmic dust clouds sprawl across a rich field of stars in this sweeping telescopic vista near the northern boundary of Corona Australis, the Southern Crown. Probably less than 500 light-years away and effectively blocking light from more distant, background stars in the Milky Way, the densest part of the dust cloud is about 8 light-years long. At its tip (upper right) is a group of lovely reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729, and IC 4812. A characteristic blue color is produced as light from hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust. The smaller yellowish nebula (NGC 6729) surrounds young variable star R Coronae Australis. Magnificent globular star cluster NGC 6723 is toward the upper right corner of the view. While NGC 6723 appears to be part of the group, it actually lies nearly 30,000 light-years away, far beyond the Corona Australis dust clouds.
“My God, It’s Full of Stars”
Posted by Danielle in Entertainment, Picspam on May 14, 2010
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HPOW
The classic line, “My God, it’s full of stars” strikes fountains of sparks in my imagination (and has done so since first I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey.) It crosses my mind often. Especially when looking at an image like this! Less welcome are the images of those stewardesses in their Pepto-Bismol pink outfits. Squick.
Globular clusters once ruled the Milky Way. Back in the old days, back when our Galaxy first formed, perhaps thousands of globular clusters roamed our Galaxy. Today, there are less than 200 left. Many globular clusters were destroyed over the eons by repeated fateful encounters with each other or the Galactic center. Surviving relics are older than any Earth fossil, older than any other structures in our Galaxy, and limit the universe itself in raw age. There are few, if any, young globular clusters in our Milky Way Galaxy because conditions are not ripe for more to form. Pictured above by the Hubble Space Telescope are about 100,000 of M72′s stars. M72, which spans about 50 light years and lies about 50,000 light years away, can be seen with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Water Bearer (Aquarius).
Millions
Copyright: Fred Lehman (South Florida Dark Sky Observers, sfdso.org)
Where was this picture yesterday?? Millions of stars… it’s perfect. Go read this and then come back and oggle today’s post.
Featured in the sharp telescopic image, globular star cluster Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) is some 15,000 light-years away and 150 light-years in diameter. Packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun, Omega Cen is the largest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.
Ten million stars. No, really. Look. Here’s a small portion of the full-size image:
Refurbished Hubble
Posted by Danielle in News & Happenings, Picspam on September 9, 2009
Released today are a set of ten new Hubble images, taken after the final refurbish/repair mission (Hubble Servicing Mission 4) in May. Check out the link for the rest; these two caught my eye. Happy Wednesday!
Discus
This awesome image was recently imaged by Hubble of a dusty galaxy, NGC 7049:
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of NGC 7049 in the constellation of Indus, in the southern sky. A family of globular clusters appears as glittering spots dusted around the galaxy halo. Astronomers study the globular clusters in NGC 7049 to learn more about its formation and evolution. The dust lanes, which appear as a lacy web, are dramatically backlit by the millions of stars in the halo of NGC 7049.
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About Silver Rockets
This blog celebrates space exploration, human spaceflight and the heavens, through lots and lots ofimages.
My name is Danielle Signor, and I am a space cadet. STS-133 NASA Tweetup Attendee!
This is a blog, NOT A SHOP. Click the images for their source or purchase link, if available.
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