Via Flickr:
Globular Star Cluster 47 Tuc
Image Credit &Copyright: Dieter Willasch(Astro-Cabinet)
Explanation: Globular star cluster 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the southern sky.Also knownas NGC 104, it roamsthe halo of our Milky Way Galaxyalong with some 200 other globular star clusters.The second brightest globular cluster (afterOmega Centauri)as seen from planet Earth, it lies about 13,000 light-years away andcan be spotted naked-eye near theSmall Magellanic Cloudin the constellation ofthe Toucan.The dense cluster is made up of several millionstars in avolumeonly about 120 light-years across.Red giant starson the outskirts of the cluster are easy to pick out as yellowish stars inthis sharptelescopic portrait.Globular cluster 47 Tuc is also home to exoticx-ray binary star systems.
Thursday, 28 July 2011
47 Tucana
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