Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2024 July 11
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                       Globular Cluster Omega Centauri
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Juergen Stein

   Explanation: Globular star cluster [5]Omega Centauri [6]packs about 10
   million stars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150
   light-years in diameter. Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of
   15,000 light-years it's the largest and brightest of 200 or so known
   [7]globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though
   most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition,
   the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of [8]different stellar
   populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact,
   [9]Omega Cen may be the [10]remnant core of a small galaxy merging with
   the Milky Way. With a [11]yellowish hue, Omega Centauri's red giant
   stars are easy to pick out in this [12]sharp telescopic view. A
   two-decade-long exploration of the dense star cluster with the Hubble
   Space Telescope has revealed evidence for a massive black hole near the
   [13]center of Omega Centauri.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply.
               [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility Notices
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC,
                         [35]NASA Science Activation
                           & [36]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/NGC5139_Stein_a2048.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.ccdastrophoto.com/
   5. https://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/omega-centauri-milky-ways-prize-star-cluster
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080906.html
   7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_clusters
   8. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021A&A...653L...8L/abstract
   9. https://esahubble.org/news/heic0809/
  10. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019NatAs...3..667I/abstract
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151224.html
  12. https://www.ccdastrophoto.com/galleries/globular-cluster/ngc5139/
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-finds-strong-evidence-for-intermediate-mass-black-hole-in-omega-centauri/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240710.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240711
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240712.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  36. http://www.mtu.edu/