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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Globular Cluster Omega Centauri
NASA ^ | 26 Jul. 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Data acquisition - SkyFlux Team, Processing - Leo Shatz

Posted on 07/26/2025 6:11:13 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri packs about 10 million stars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150 light-years in diameter. Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of 15,000 light-years 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 telescopic view. A two-decade-long exploration of the dense star cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed evidence for a massive black hole near the center of Omega Centauri.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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1 posted on 07/26/2025 6:11:13 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

ok


2 posted on 07/26/2025 6:12:49 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Would make a great retro kitchen counter

3 posted on 07/26/2025 6:15:08 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: MtnClimber

Nothing to see here, just a bunch of dots, maybe stars, like onions in a drying lot.


4 posted on 07/26/2025 6:15:29 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: MtnClimber

So why don’t the stars in one of these globular clusters all collapse on each other - they’re all gravitationally-attracted, aren’t they?


5 posted on 07/26/2025 6:37:38 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: MtnClimber

Holy Friggin Mackerel!


6 posted on 07/26/2025 6:41:43 PM PDT by HandyDandy (“Borders, language and culture.” Michael Savage)
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To: HandyDandy

Hmmm...
If it were a school/cluster of Mackerel, the motion would be random instead of orbital around the blackhole???


7 posted on 07/26/2025 6:53:45 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is rabble-rising Sam Adams now that we need him? Is his name Trump, now?)
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