The nearby metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 is located at a distance
of approx
The
nearby metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 is located at a distance of approx.
7,200 light-years in the southern constellation Ara.
Analyzing a set of stars in a globular cluster with ESO's
Very Large Telescope, astronomers may have found the solution to a critical
cosmological and stellar riddle.
Until now, a puzzling question was why the abundance of
lithium produced in the Big Bang is a factor 2 to 3 times higher than the value
measured in the atmospheres of old stars. The answer, the researchers say, lies
in the fact that the abundances of elements measured in a star's atmosphere
decrease with time.
The photo is a composite of exposures in the B- , V- and
I-bands obtained in the frame of the Pilot Stellar Survey with the
Wide-Field-Imager (WFI) camera at the 2.2-m ESO/MPI telescope at the ESO La
Silla Observatory.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESO
Return each weekday for a new SPACE.com Image of the Day.
