Astronomy Picture of the Day - Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri

NASA ^ | 28 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco and Mirco Turra

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri, also known as NGC 5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150 light-years in diameter. It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way. With a yellowish hue, Omega Centauri's red giant stars are easy to pick out in this sharp, color telescopic view.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2311/Katarzyna20.jpg

[No name given]

Wow.

[Robert DeLong]

Probably billions.

[Jamestown1630]

...and billions.

[Robert DeLong]

Actually more like trillions. 🙂👍

[mikey_hates_everything]

10 million stars within 150 light-years? That might be a challenge for Sulu at Warp 4 or above.

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[Nateman]

I see these big globs of stars and figure there must be a black hole holding them all together. I know Hubble recently verified two Clusters where this is the case.

[The Louiswu]

Glory be to God who made the heavens above. We marvel and wonder at your works.

[Tucker39]

And it was ALL created, all of it, including all of us, by the Lord Jesus Christ, God The Son, Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Gospel of John, chapter 1: All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made......and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory.....”

[DoodleBob]

That’s 22,500 square light years.

Divided by 10 million stars, that’s one star every 0.0023 light year, or every 1.5 billion miles.

That’s basically the distance from Earth to Saturn.

Lotta light.

[DoodleBob]

It looks like the cover of my favorite Mahavishnu Orchestra album.

[null and void]

Cubic?

[gibsonguy]

I tried to like that band, l really did because the musicianship was undeniable but l just couldn’t.

[The Louiswu]

Amen.

[SkyDancer]

Where did all that energy come from to produce all of those stars?

[DoodleBob]

Ah nuts.

Yep….forgot it’s 150x150x150=3,375,000 cubic light years.

That makes it one star every 0.3375 cubic light year.

There are 5.9 trillion miles in a light year.

THEREFORE, assuming the stars are evenly-distributed, that’s a star every 2 trillion cubic miles, give or take.

I think.

[null and void]

Sounds reasonable, that’s 2.95 light years average distance between a star and its closest neighbor.

Local to us it’s 3.26 light years, which is by definition 1 parsec.

2.95 vs 3.26 LY, close enough for government work...