globular clusters – Astronomy Now

A frequently rediscovered globular cluster in Scorpio catches Hubble’s eye

13 July 2021 Astronomy Now

The origin of the globular clusters observed in most galaxies remains a mystery, but the vast star swarms provide some of the most stunning sights in the heavens for professional and amateur astronomers alike.

Another look at the densely packed stars of Omega Centauri

11 June 2021 Astronomy Now

The magnificent Omega Centauri globular cluster is a riveting sight in even small telescopes, but it takes the Hubble Space Telescope to provide the jaw-dropping vista seen here.

A favourite of amateurs and professionals alike, M13 sits for Hubble portrait

11 May 2021 Astronomy Now

The globular cluster M13 in Hercules, a splendid sight in even modest telescopes, serves up a vast metropolis of stars when imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Globular cluster’s remnants suggest a ‘lost generation’

30 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find a spread-out stream of stars that may be the remnant of a lost generation of globular clusters.

Ancient stars concentrated in a huge globular cluster

7 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Globular clusters offer stunning starscapes for amateur astronomers, but the Hubble Space Telescope takes it to another level as seen in this jaw-dropping image of Messier 2 some 55,000 light years from Earth.

Hubble takes the measure of a nearby globular cluster

13 October 2019 Astronomy Now

Globular clusters are favourite targets for amateur astronomers, vast star swarms that date back to just after the big bang birth of the cosmos. NGC 6397 is one of the closest, as revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Galaxies peek through star clouds in massive cluster

19 December 2018 Astronomy Now

A middle-age star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud is populated by countless stars, but galaxies in the far distance peak through, giving viewers at least a sense of the overwhelming scale of the cosmos.

Hubble spots thousands of globular clusters in Coma galaxy group

2 December 2018 Astronomy Now

Archived images collected by the Hubble Space Telescope across a variety of projects allowed astronomers to spot more than 22,000 globular clusters in the Coma galaxy cluster.

Hubble peers into a globular cluster on the outskirts of the LMC

28 November 2018 Astronomy Now

An unusual globular cluster on the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud, seen here in an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, features an unusual mix of young an old stars, possibly the result of an encounter with a giant gas cloud in the distant past.

A glorious globular, M22 delights amateurs and professionals alike

23 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Messier 22 is a stunning sight in even small telescopes, but nothing rivals this spectacular view of the globular cluster’s crowded heart as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in visible and infrared light.