Hubble space telescope once again captured a wonder of space. The said telescope captured a huge structure of stars identified as a globular cluster.
Located 23,000 light years away in the constellation of Sagittarius, this cluster of stars is named NGC 6558. It is located close to the center of the Milky Way.
What Are Globular Clusters?
According to the Digital Trends, a "globular cluster is a group of thousands or even millions of stars that are held together by gravity."
As a globular cluster, the stars in the NGC 6558 are closely connected by gravity. It consists of tens of thousands, hundreds, and sometimes even millions of stars.
Considered as one of the oldest body in the Universe, the globular cluster orbit the galactic center. Another characteristics of globular cluster is its increased density.
Scientists, and astronomers measure the average distances between the stars in the cluster centers in terms of light days, according to The Universe.
The globular cluster NGC 6558 is located nearer to the heart of the Milky Way than to Earth. As mentioned earlier, it is 23,000 light years away from Earth in the area of the constellation Sagittarius.
According to The Universe, the stars that can be found in globular clusters "have approximately the same age and chemical composition." Because of this, scientists, and astronomers subject them to studies in order to test theories about stellar evolution.
A research which is after studying the globular clusters that can be found at the center of the Milky Way became the reason why Hubble was able to capture the NGC 6558 image.
Previously, the have been other globular clusters identified near the heart of Milky Way galaxy. These are also captured by the Hubble space telescope, and are now being studied as part of the Hubble project.
Read Also: Hubble Space Telescope Adds Glittery Snap of Globular Cluster to NGC 6558 to Its Collection
How do Astronomers Use Globular Clusters to Test Their Theories?
Based on the report of the Digital Trends, the stars in globular cluster can provide unique findings how different stars evolve under similar conditions. This is because these stars are formed at around similar time with the same compositions.
Following this, the globular clusters are interesting "natural laboratories" for astronomers, according to Hubble scientists.
The NGC 6558 image was obtained during an observations being conducted to study globular clusters in the inner Milky Way.
For scientists, and astronomers, these globular clusters are interesting subject of study because it is where they are able to gain new insights how the thousands, and millions of stars are formed.
Looking at the image of NGC 6558, you would notice that the stars are in a variety of colors. The color of the star hints its age.
According to the Digital Trends, the color of the star illustrates how hot its surface is, and its temperature tells its age.
But aside from color and surface temperature, the mass of a star is also a significant indicator. There are other factors such as the redshift that can be seen in very distant stars, or dust, which can affect the its perceived color.
Related Article: The Hubble Space Telescope Loves Taking Photos of Star Clusters - What Exactly are They?
