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Hubble Space Telescope Captures a Spectacular Star-Studded Skyfield

This star-studded Hubble Space Telescope image shows the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6638 in the constellation Sagittarius. To capture the data in this image, Hubble used two of its cutting-edge astronomical instruments: Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen

This spectacular star-studded image shows the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6638 in the constellation Sagittarius. Captured by the NASAEstablished in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is "To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity." Its core values are "safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion."” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>NASA/ESA Hubble Space TelescopeThe Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as Hubble or HST) is one of NASA's Great Observatories and was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990. It is one of the largest and most versatile space telescopes in use and features a 2.4-meter mirror and four main instruments that observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It was named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>Hubble Space Telescope, this star-strewn observation highlights the density of stars at the heart of globular clusters, which are stable, tightly bound clusters of tens of thousands to millions of stars. Hubble used two of its cutting-edge astronomical instruments to capture the data in this image: Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Since it is almost impossible to clearly distinguish the stars in globular clusters with ground-based telescopes, Hubble revolutionized the study of globular clusters. Earth’s atmosphere causes blurring that makes it impossible to tell one star from another, but from Hubble’s location in low Earth orbit, the atmosphere is no longer a concern. As a result, Hubble has been used to investigate what kind of stars globular clusters are made up of, how they evolve, and the role of gravity in these dense systems.

Now, with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, we will improve our knowledge of globular clusters by peering into those globular clusters that are currently obscured by dust. Webb will primarily observe at infrared wavelengths, which are less affected by the gas and dust surrounding newborn stars. This will allow astronomers to inspect star clusters that are freshly formed, providing insights into stellar populations before they have had a chance to evolve.

Source: SciTechDaily