Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature

> Globular cluster M72 in Aquarius

Globular cluster M72 in Aquarius

author: ESA/Nasa/Novapix

reference: a-agb69-81002

Image Size 300 DPI: 34 * 34 cm

This rich collection of scattered stars, known as Messier 72, is actually a globular cluster, an ancient spherical collection of old stars packed much closer together at its centre. As well as huge numbers of stars in the cluster itself the picture also captures the images of many much more distant galaxies seen between and around the cluster stars. French astronomer Pierre Méchain discovered this rich cluster in August of 1780, but we take Messier 72’s most common name from Méchain’s colleague Charles Messier, who recorded it as the 72nd entry in his famous catalogue of comet-like objects just two months later. This globular cluster lies in the constellation of Aquarius (the Water Bearer) about 50 000 light-years from Earth. This image was taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The exposure times were about ten minutes per filter and the field of view is about 3.4 arcminutes across.

Keywords for this photo:

2010 - AQUARIUS - ASTRONOMY - GLOBULAR CLUSTER - HST - HUBBLE - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - M72 - NGC 6981 - STAR - STAR CLUSTER -