Trying to understand an image of a globular cluster might mean bitting more than you can chew for those who aren’t into astronomy, but still, these majestic cosmic objects show how incredibly small we all are in the Universe. NASA astronomers are once again giving the good ol’ Hubble telescope a lot of work to do.
Hubble snapped a new photo of the Ruprecht 106 globular cluster that raises some intriguing questions, and space.com tells us more.
The next astronomical mystery for @NASAHubble to investigate is globular cluster Ruprecht 106. 🔍
Unlike most global clusters, Ruprecht 106 contains only a single population of stars, all with the same chemical composition.
More HERE: https://t.co/tSEzrS0VbH
— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) June 11, 2022
Ruprecht 106 is a rare type of globular cluster located about 69,100 light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus, and it lacks stars with unique chemical compositions that differ a lot. Instead, we’re talking about a single population cluster. In Ruprecht 106, no stars of second or third generation ever formed.
The researchers explained as sci-news.com quotes:
Some of Hubble’s other instruments have also gone through three iterations: the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) replaced the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) during the final servicing mission to Hubble.
WFPC2 itself replaced the original Wide Field and Planetary Camera 1 (WFPC1), which was installed on Hubble at launch.
Even with more than 30 years of activity, Hubble always seems ready to bite the bullet and discover new wonders of the Cosmos. It was less than a week ago when NASA’s telescope snapped a photo of another globular cluster: Terzan 9.
Hubble’s image became the Picture of the Week, and you are free to feast your eyes on it below:
Our latest Picture of the Week features a cosmic treasure chest! This star-studded image shows the globular cluster Terzan 9 in the constellation Sagittarius, towards the centre of the Milky Way.
Credit: @esa / @HUBBLE_space / @NASA , R. Cohen pic.twitter.com/zZN9pFQ5VN
— HUBBLE (@HUBBLE_space) June 13, 2022
Astronomers in charge of Hubble stated as sci-news.com quotes:
As the new image of Terzan 9 demonstrates, the hearts of globular clusters can be densely packed with stars,
The night sky in this image is strewn with so many stars that it resembles a sea of sequins or a vast treasure chest crammed with gold.
Feel free to tell us what you think about Hubble’s discovery!
