Hubble Records Glints of a Shining Globular Cluster in the Sagittarius
The photo showcases NGC 6717, which exists more than 20,000 light-years from Earth in the Sagittarius constellation.
NASA’s Hubble telescope has given us some impressive images for many years. In 2019, when it turned 29, it sent us a treasure of a shot of the crab nebula.
Now, it is back with a fantastic picture showcasing NGC 6717, which exists over 20,000 light-years from our planet in the constellation Sagittarius.
“NGC 6717 is a globular cluster, a roughly round collection of stars tightly bound by gravity. Globular clusters have more stars in their cores than their outer fringes, as this picture demonstrates; the sparsely inhabited edges of NGC 6717 are in direct contrast to the gleaming mass of stars at its center,” ESA explained in their press release.
ESA continues by saying that the center of the picture likewise contained some intense foreground stars closer to our planet. These stars are surrounded by criss-cross diffraction spikes created by starlight interacting with the structures supporting Hubble’s secondary mirror.
ESA remarked that the constellation Sagittarius is close to the center of the Milky Way, which is filled with light-absorbing gas and dust. This absorption of light– usually referred to as extinction– makes it challenging to examine globular clusters near the Galactic center.
Sagittarius is one of the zodiac constellations and is also among the 48 constellations provided by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy. Its name in Latin translates to “archer,” and it is commonly depicted as a centaur drawing back a bow. It exists between Capricornus and Microscopium to the east and between Scorpius and Ophiuchus to the west.
Sagittarius is among the most popular features of the summer season skies in the northern hemisphere, although, in Scotland and also Scandinavia, it can not be seen. Sagittarius passes directly over in southern Brazil, South Africa, and central Australia. Still, it can never be recorded as beautifully as the Hubble telescope has.
Originally published on Interestingengineering.com. Read the original article.
