This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the globular star cluster NGC 1841 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
This Hubble image shows the globular cluster NGC 1841 about 162,000 light-years away in the constellation Mensa. The color images include ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared observations from both Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Survey Altitude Camera (ACS). Three filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Saragedini / F. Niederhofer.
NGC1841 It is located approximately 162,000 light years away in the constellation Mensa.
The cluster is discovered It was proposed by British astronomer John Herschel on January 19, 1836.
Also known as ESO 4-15, this galaxy is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
“Satellite galaxies are galaxies that are gravitationally bound in orbit around a larger host galaxy,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“While we usually think of our galaxy's closest galactic companion as the Andromeda galaxy, it would be more accurate to say that the Andromeda galaxy is the closest galaxy that does not orbit the Milky Way.”
“In fact, our galaxy is orbited by dozens of known satellite galaxies much closer than Andromeda, the largest and brightest of which is the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is easily visible to the naked eye even from the southern hemisphere. can.”
Globular clusters, such as NGC 1841, are very old systems of stars bound together by gravity into a single structure about 100 to 200 light-years in diameter.
These objects contain hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of stars. The large mass in the cluster's rich stellar center pulls the stars inward, forming a star ball.
These are among the oldest objects known in the universe, relics from the earliest era of galaxy formation.
It is believed that all galaxies contain globular clusters. There are at least 150 such objects in our Milky Way galaxy.
“There are many globular star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud,” the astronomers said.
“These objects lie somewhere between open clusters (much less dense and tightly bound) and small, compact galaxies.”
“Increasingly sophisticated observations have revealed that the stellar populations and other characteristics of globular clusters are diverse and complex, but how these dense clusters form is poorly understood. yeah.”
“But all globular clusters have a certain consistency. They are so stable that they can persist for long periods of time, and therefore can be very old.”
“This means that globular clusters often contain large numbers of very old stars, making them similar to 'fossils' in the sky.”
“Just as fossils provide insight into the early development of life on Earth, globular clusters like NGC 1841 provide insight into the very early formation of stars in galaxies.”
Source: www.sci.news
