This sparkling burst of stars is Messier 75. It is a globular cluster: a spherical collection of stars bound together by gravity. Clusters like this orbit around galaxies and typically reside in their outer and less-crowded areas, gathering to form dense communities in the galactic suburbs.
Messier 75 lies in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), around 67 000 light-years away from Earth. The majority of the cluster’s stars, about 400 000 in total, are found in its core; it is one of the most densely populated clusters ever found, with a phenomenal luminosity of some 180 000 times that of the Sun. No wonder it photographs so well!
Discovered in 1780 by Pierre Méchain, Messier 75 was also observed by Charles Messier and added to his catalog later that year. This image of Messier 75 was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.
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3 Comments
TRULY MAGNIFICENT REFLECTING THE GREAT CREATOR.
I’m right there with you, Barry. “Stars bound together by gravity.” These clusters are said to be billions of years in age. If gravity is at work, why have the clusters not collapsed and formed massive black holes? All the stars in a cluster should be pulled toward the center, where the stars are most compact, and yet no collapse. Could it be that there has not been enough time since their creation by Almighty God for these clusters to have collapsed? After all, our sun supposedly contracted from simple hydrogen gas. How much more when one considers the weight of the stars in a cluster.
Well, the first two commenters are brain-dead, so all I need do to re-establish the primacy of science is say, “2+2=4.”