Stars are not evenly distributed within galaxies. Instead, stars tend to cluster together in clusters that can be as large as tens of thousands or even millions of stars. These groups of stars, called globular clusters, are tightly bound together by gravity, forming a spherical shape with a dense stellar core at its center. They are also visually stunning, with thousands of points of light visible in different colors, representing stars of all ages.
The Image of the Week, shared this week by scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope, shows one such globular cluster called NGC 6355. Located in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, this cluster is relatively close, less than 50,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus.
The image was captured by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 instruments, which can see the enormous structure in great detail. Globular clusters are difficult to study with ground-based telescopes because water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere skews readings, making it harder to resolve individual stars within the cluster. Because Hubble is in space and orbiting the Earth above its atmosphere, it sits above that water vapor, allowing it to capture more detailed images.
“NGC 6355’s dense, bright core shines in crystal clear detail as Hubble is able to resolve individual stars in the crowded region at the center of this image,” said Hubble scientists to write. “Hubble’s unique capabilities and vantage point above Earth’s light-distorting atmosphere allow it to capture in detail the individual stars of a globular cluster.”
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