- ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Sarajedini et al
- This Hubble image features stars at the center of the glittering globular cluster Caldwell 79. Globular clusters are dense, gravitationally bound packs of stars that roam the fringes of the galaxy. Most of the Milky Way�s globular clusters are estimated to be over 10 billion years old � about twice as old as our solar system. They typically contain hundreds of thousands of stars that are thought to have formed at roughly the same time. They also contain some of the most ancient stars in our galaxy, but their role in galactic evolution is still a matter of study.
hubble space telescope of
- NGC 3201 (Wikipedia)
NGC 3201 (also known as Caldwell 79) is a low galactic latitude globular cluster in the southern constellation of Vela. It has a very low central concentration of stars. This cluster was discovered by James Dunlop on May 28, 1826 and listed in his 1827 catalogue. He described it as “a pretty large pretty bright round nebula, 4′ or 5′ diameter, very gradually condensed towards the centre, easily resolved into stars; the figure is rather irregular, and the stars are considerably scattered on the south”.
![With a magnitude of 6.7, it’s just a bit too dim to be seen with the unaided eye. A pair of binoculars is sufficient to view the cluster, though it will be a much more impressive spectacle viewed through a telescope. Unfortunately, Caldwell 79 [NGC 3201] isn’t easily visible from most northern latitudes, except those close to the equator, where observers can look for it in the springtime. The cluster is best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere during autumn months.](https://pinchy.cc/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Caldwell_79.jpg/@description-5-2/){kind=link}
