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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Миллионы звезд в Омега Центавра http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1244324/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Fred Lehman
(South Florida Dark Sky Observers)
Explanation:
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.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.