M14: A Globular Cluster |
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Imagine a sky blazing with over 50,000 nearby stars! If a planet could
survive in orbit around one of the stars in this globular cluster, what a sky
that would be for its inhabitants.
M14 is one of over 100 globular clusters in our galaxy. These clusters contain up to 100,000 stars, tightly bound together by their mutual gravity. Formed in the early days of our galaxy, they contain some of the oldest stars in the Universe. Located in the constellation Ophiucus, it lies about 30,000 light years away. Its multitude of stars are packed into a ball only 35 light years in diameter. Barely visible in binoculars on a dark night as a faint smudge, this image clearly shows the dense package of stars in M14. In addition, this extended-color image shows that the star colors range from deep red through pale yellow to blue. Though some of the red stars are extremely cool giant stars, most are fainter ordinary stars that lie between us and the cluster. | |