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Astronomy Picture of the Day - 47 Tucanae: Globular Star Cluster
NASA ^ | 5 Sep, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor

Posted on 09/05/2025 1:06:45 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Also known as NGC 104, 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the southern sky. Not a star but a dense cluster of stars, it roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy along with some 200 other globular star clusters. The second brightest globular cluster (after Omega Centauri) as seen from planet Earth, 47 Tuc lies about 13,000 light-years away. It can be spotted with the naked eye close on the sky to the Small Magellanic Cloud in the constellation of the Toucan. The dense cluster is made up of hundreds of thousands of stars in a volume only about 120 light-years across. Red giant stars on the outskirts of the cluster are easy to pick out as yellowish stars in this sharp telescopic portrait. Tightly packed globular star cluster 47 Tuc is also home to a star with the closest known orbit around a black hole.


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

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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.

1 posted on 09/05/2025 1:06:45 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 09/05/2025 1:07:14 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: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 09/05/2025 1:07:50 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
Thanks for posting! Beautiful and large beyond comprehension.

In attempting to scale it down my former life intrudes! I see a Formica or Wilsonart black background star-flake pattern! (Great for a Kitchen with a Black countertop!)

4 posted on 09/05/2025 1:31:40 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: MtnClimber
Here is my artist's impression of the night sky as seen from the core of 47 Tucanae:
























Beatuiful, isn't it?
5 posted on 09/05/2025 1:49:36 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
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To: MtnClimber

“Warp Drive 7, Scotty.”


6 posted on 09/05/2025 1:54:36 PM PDT by 4Runner ("I gotta join a union just to get a job loafin'?" " Sure ya do!" --Abbott & Costello)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


7 posted on 09/05/2025 1:58:22 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

It’s beautiful.


8 posted on 09/05/2025 3:31:55 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: No name given

AND WE ARE THE ONLY “LIFE” OUT HERE????

NOT POSSIBLE


9 posted on 09/05/2025 4:21:40 PM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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