Globular Clusters Photo Gallery
A globular cluster is a tight collection of stars having a strong spherical symmetry. The star density rapidly increases towards the center of the cluster. Radial velocity studies show that the stars in a globular are gravitationally bound to each other. The typical globular is 100 light years in diameter and contains tens of thousands of stars. These star systems are more than 10 billion years in age making them among the oldest objects in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Over 150 globular clusters are known in the Milky Way and they are distributed in a spherical halo surrounding the galaxy. There may be another 10 to 20 globulars on the opposite side of the galaxy from us but hidden behind the intervening gas and dust in the Milky Way.
The 18th-century French astronomer Charles Messier recorded 29 globular clusters in his Messier Catalog of deep sky objects. Wikipedia contains a very good entry about globular clusters.
Click on each thumbnail to see a larger image.
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