Peering into the Core of a Globular Cluster
Astronomers have used NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to peer into the centre of a dense swarm of stars called Omega Centauri. Located some 17, 000 light-years from Earth, Omega Centauri is a massive globular star cluster, containing several million stars swirling in locked orbits around a common centre of gravity. The stars are packed so densely in the cluster's core that it is difficult for ground-based telescopes to make out individual stars. Hubble's high resolution is able to pick up where ground-based telescopes leave off, capturing distinct points of light from stars at the very centre of the cluster.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | NGC 5139, Omega Centauri |
Type: | Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster : Globular |
Distance: | 17000 light years |
Constellation: | Centaurus |
Category: | Star Clusters |
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 13 26 51.06 |
Position (Dec): | -47° 28' 54.02" |
Field of view: | 2.45 x 2.44 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 36.7° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Ultraviolet U | 336 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical H-alpha | 656 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical R | 675 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |