Hubble sees glittering globular cluster deep in our Milky Way galaxy

This glittering celestial landscape captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows Terzan 12, a globular cluster lying about 15,000 light-years from Earth, deep in the Milky Way galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius.

Our Milky Way galaxy has about 150 ancient globular clusters at its outskirts . Clusters like Terzan 12 are highly obscured by interstellar dust, making it challenging for astronomers to examine them.

In the above Hubble image, the relatively unobscured stars are shining brightly in white and blue while the creeping tendrils of gas and dust blanket other large portions of Terzan 12, giving stars a sinister red hue.

Stars in globular clusters are tightly bound together by intense gravitational attraction, with a higher concentration of stars towards the center. They are of particular interest to astronomers, because their constituent stars all formed at approximately the same time and location, and had similar initial composition. They offer unique insights into how stars form and evolve. 

Prepare to be starstruck!This new Hubble image shows Terzan 12, which is a globular cluster – a roughly spherical group of stars bound together by gravity.Terzan 12 is about 15,000 light-years away, nestled in our home galaxy of the Milky Way: https://t.co/9DOouni3D9 pic.twitter.com/TesKa9lLoj

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 7, 2023