Posted on 10/24/2020 3:33:04 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Globular star cluster 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the southern sky. Also known as NGC 104, it roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy along with some 200 other globular star clusters. The second brightest globular cluster (after Omega Centauri) as seen from planet Earth, it lies about 13,000 light-years away and can be spotted naked-eye close on the sky to the Small Magellanic Cloud in the constellation of the Toucan. The dense cluster is made up of hundreds of thousands of stars in a volume only about 120 light-years across. Red giant stars on the outskirts of the cluster are easy to pick out as yellowish stars in this sharp telescopic portrait. Tightly packed globular cluster 47 Tuc is also home to a star with the closest known orbit around a black hole.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then zoom by moving the magnifying glass over an area and then clicking. The side bars will move the zoomed area over the photograph.
Awesome
Pinging the APOD list.
I always feel so puny when I see these breathtaking images. :-)
Many, many thanks for posting them. Don’t ever stop. Sometimes we NEED to be reminded of the magnificence that’s out beyond our immediate environs.
Heh!
"There's nothing to rent in Toscana! Don't even try!"
Why do some stars show up reddish, others blueish, but most are white?
The color of the stars is due to temperature. Blue stars are the hottest and red stars are the coolest. The colors from hottest to coolest goes blue, white, yellow and red. There are stars that are cooler still, but not visible to the eye that emit infrared.
The star color also indicates the stage of the star’s life cycle for those that are in visible light. Blue stars are usually early in their life and red stars are near the end of their life. The time to go through the life cycle is dependent on the star mass. Smaller stars like the sun can last for several billion years while very massive stars may last only a few million years. So a blue star could be older than a red star. I hope that my try at an explanation is not too confusing.
Great picture but I’m suspicious that false color is added. Maybe not. My favorites are the old black and whites taken on film (versus digital sensors).
Thanks. That helps.
No false color in this picture. True color is easy to see when looking thru a telescope as it collects enough light to actually activate the cones in your color vision.
Digital sensors are so much more sensitive than the old film makes seeing the color so easy.
Sunglasses all day. (No night.) Lots of sunscreen. Enjoy your life under a rock.
Looks like a galactic dandelion.
Ihat is a good one! I hope this next storm misses you!
I hope they all do!......................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.