Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a striking new photo of the densely packed globular cluster NGC 6325.
Globular clusters are systems of very ancient stars, gravitationally bound into a single structure about 100-200 light-years across.
They contain hundreds of thousands or perhaps a million stars. The large mass in the rich stellar center of a cluster pulls the stars inward to form a ball of stars. The word globulus, from which these clusters take their name, is Latin for small sphere.
Globular clusters are among the oldest known objects in the Universe and are relics of the first epochs of galaxy formation.
Of the 150 globular clusters belonging to our Milky Way Galaxy, about 70 lie within 13,000 light-years from the Galactic center where their density tends to peak.
“Globular clusters like NGC 6325 can be found in all types of galaxies, and act as natural laboratories for astronomers studying star formation,” Hubble astronomers said.
“This is because the constituent stars of globular clusters tend to form at roughly the same time and with similar initial composition, meaning that astronomers can use them to fine-tune their theories of how stars evolve.”
NGC 6325 is located approximately 26,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus.
Otherwise known as ESO 519-11 or GCl 58, this globular cluster was discovered by the British astronomer John Herschel on May 24, 1835.
“We inspected this particular cluster not to understand star formation, but to search for a hidden monster,” the astronomers said.
“Though it might look peaceful, we suspect this cluster could contain an intermediate-mass black hole that is subtly affecting the motion of surrounding stars.”
“Previous research found that the distribution of stars in some highly concentrated globular clusters — those with stars packed relatively tightly together — was slightly different from what astronomers expected.”
“This…
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