The globular cluster NGC 6540 glows brilliantly, with tens of thousands to millions of stars securely held together by gravity. Based on an Aug. 15 release from the European Space Agency (ESA), the new image was captured using data from the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.
“The brightest stars in this image are adorned with prominent cross-shaped patterns of light known as diffraction spikes. These astronomical embellishments are a type of imaging artifact, meaning that they are caused by the structure of Hubble rather than the stars themselves. The path taken by the starlight as it enters the telescope is slightly disturbed by its internal structure, causing bright objects to be surrounded by spikes of light
ESA officials wrote in the statement
The fields of view of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys vary, limiting how much of the sky each instrument can observe. According to the announcement, the new image was taken while NGC 6540 was in the frame of vision of both telescopes as it investigated the southern constellation Sagittarius.
Hubble has proved to be extremely useful in globular cluster studies since it circles Earth at 340 miles (550 kilometres) above the surface, where the atmosphere is thin enough that the telescope’s view of the stars is not obscured.
The studies that resulted in the new image are part of a bigger effort to aid scientists in determining the ages, forms, and structures of globular clusters at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.
“The gas and dust shrouding the center of our galaxy block some of the light from these clusters, as well as subtly changing the colors of their stars. Globular clusters contain insights into the earliest history of the Milky Way, and so studying them can help astronomers understand how our galaxy has evolved” ESA officials wrote in the statement.
Hubble, which is now more than 30 years old, is still making new discoveries and collaborating with the newly operational James Webb Space Telescope to investigate the universe in ever greater detail.
image credits: NASA
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