Hubble Space Telescope picture of the globular cluster NGC 6558. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, R. Cohen
This glittering event of stars is the globular cluster NGC 6558, and it was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescopes Advanced Camera for Surveys. NGC 6558 lies about 23,000 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius and is closer to the center of the Milky Way than Earth is.
Globular clusters, such as NGC 6558, are largely packed collections of 10s of thousands to countless stars, and they can be found in a large range of galaxies. As this observation shows, the stars in globular clusters can be largely packed; this image is thronged with stars in a rich range of hues. A few of the brightest residents of this globular cluster are surrounded by popular diffraction spikes, which are imaging artifacts brought on by starlight connecting with the inner functions of Hubble.
Globular clusters gear up astronomers with intriguing natural labs in which to test their theories, as all the stars in a globular cluster formed at roughly the exact same time with comparable initial structure. Astronomers were interested in studying these globular clusters to gain greater insight into how globular clusters in the inner Milky Way form and progress.
By ESA/Hubble
May 15, 2022