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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA and
P. Goudfrooij
(STScI);
Processing: M. H. özsaraö
(Törkiye Astronomi Derneäi)
Explanation:
There is nothing like this ball of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.
This is surprising because, at first glance, this
featured image by the
Hubble Space Telescope suggests that star cluster
NGC 1850's
size and shape are reminiscent of the many
ancient globular
star clusters
which roam our own
Milky Way Galaxy's halo.
But NGC 1850's stars are all too young, making it a type of star cluster with
no known counterpart in the Milky Way.
Moreover, NGC 1850 is also a
double star cluster, with a second, compact cluster of
stars visible here just to the right of the large cluster's center.
Stars in the large cluster are estimated to be 50 million years young,
while stars in the compact cluster are younger still, with an age of about 4 million
years.
A mere 168,000 light-years
distant, NGC 1850 is located near the outskirts of the
Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.
The glowing gas filaments across the image left, like
supernova remnants in our own galaxy,
testify to violent
stellar explosions
and indicate that short-lived massive
stars have recently been present in the region.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 1850 - globular cluster
Publications with words: NGC 1850 - globular cluster
See also: