Space news from Daily Mail
The biggest retirement home in the galaxy: Hubble spots gigantic cluster of hundreds of thousands of 10 billion year old stars
Known as NGC 6139, is is a phenomenon known as a massive globular cluster
They contain hundreds of thousands of stars that are thought to have formed at roughly the same time
Globular clusters contain some of the oldest stars in our galaxy, formed very early in the galaxy’s history
It could be the biggest retirement home in the galaxy.
Hubble has revealed a stunning image of a huge collection of aging stars.
Known as NGC 6139, the hundreds of thousands of stars within it are believed to have been formed over 10 billion years ago.
The phenomenon is known as a massive globular cluster, and is a gravitationally bound collection of stars that orbits the Milky Way.
They typically contain hundreds of thousands of stars that are thought to have formed at roughly the same time.
Globular clusters are denser and more spherical than open star clusters like the famous Pleiades.
They contain some of the oldest stars in our galaxy, formed very early in the galaxy’s history.
However, their role in galactic evolution is still a matter of study.
This cluster is seen roughly in the direction of the center of the Milky Way, in the constellation of Scorpius (the Scorpion).
This constellation is a goldmine of fascinating astronomical objects.
Hubble has set its sights on Scorpius many times to observe objects such as the Butterfly Nebula, surprising binary star systems, and other dazzling globular clusters.
Earlier this month astronomers revealed the most comprehensive, high-resolution ultraviolet-light survey of nearby star-forming galaxies using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
They combined new Hubble observations with archival Hubble images for 50 star-forming spiral and dwarf galaxies in the local universe.
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