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Star Clusters Near the Center of the Galaxy

Star Clusters Near the Center of the Galaxy


Depicts: Arches Cluster, Quintuplet Cluster, IRAS 17430-2848
Copyright: Don Figer (Space Telescope Science Institute) and NASA

Penetrating 25,000 light-years of obscuring dust and myriad stars, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided the clearest view yet of a pair of the largest young clusters of stars inside our Milky Way galaxy, located less than 100 light-years from the very center of the Galaxy. Having the equivalent mass greater than 10,000 stars like our sun, the monster clusters are ten times larger than typical young star clusters scattered throughout our Milky Way. Both clusters are destined to be ripped apart in just a few million years by gravitational tidal forces in the galaxys core. But in the brief time they are around, they shine more brightly than any other star cluster in the Galaxy.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
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31-Dec-2024 04:41 UT

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