M72: A Globular Cluster of Stars
Explanation:
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).
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.
