The Omega
Centauri cluster glistens with millions of stars, as seen by the Spitzer Space
Telescope.
Globular
clusters such as this orbit around the outside of the Milky Way galaxy, and many
of their stars formed over 12 billion years ago when the universe was still
young. Omega Centauri stands out as the biggest and brightest of 150 or so
globular clusters nearby. The red and yellow dots indicating older red giants
while blue dots indicate younger stars such as our sun.
Another
unusual feature of Omega Centauri is that its stars are of different ages,
which suggests a different origin for it than other globular clusters.
Astronomers suggest that it could have been the core of a dwarf galaxy that was
ripped apart and absorbed by the Milky Way.
— NASA and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/
NOAO/AURA/NSF
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