Astronomy Picture of the Day - Globular Cluster M15 Deep Field

NASA ^ | 26 Nov, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Alvaro Ibanez Perez

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Stars, like bees, swarm around the center of bright globular cluster M15. The central ball of over 100,000 stars is a relic from the early years of our Galaxy, and continues to orbit the Milky Way's center. M15, one of about 150 globular clusters remaining, is noted for being easily visible with only binoculars, having at its center one of the densest concentrations of stars known, and containing a high abundance of variable stars and pulsars. The featured image of M15 was taken by combining very long exposures -- 122 hours in all -- and so brings up faint wisps of gas and dust in front of the giant ball of stars. M15 lies about 35,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Winged Horse (Pegasus).

[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]

Pinging the APOD list

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[Red Badger]

Nice shot pattern......................

[Deaf Smith]

A good Punt Gun will do that.

[zeestephen]

Thanks - really cool photo.

Or - since the white visible light indicates active stars, a totally HOT photo!

[Diogenesis]

[No name given]

Wow.

[No name given]

Beautiful.

[HandyDandy]

Spectacular!

[telescope115]

Nice!