Mangaluru: A spectacular image from the Hubble Space Telescope has captured a breathtaking gathering of ancient stars, glowing across the darkness of space like a celestial chandelier.
A cluster filled with ancient stars
The image shows NGC 6723, popularly known as the Chandelier Cluster, a globular star cluster located about 27,000 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.
Every bright point visible in the image represents an individual star. Globular clusters are densely packed groups that can contain tens of thousands to millions of stars. They are also home to some of the oldest stars known in the galaxy, with some estimated to be more than 10 billion years old.
The Milky Way is believed to contain around 150 known globular clusters, making these stellar gatherings important for understanding the history and evolution of our galaxy.
A cosmic sight visible from Earth
Despite its enormous distance, the Chandelier Cluster can be observed by skywatchers using binoculars or a telescope under suitable viewing conditions.
The cluster was discovered in 1826 by British astronomer James Dunlop, long before modern space telescopes transformed humanity’s ability to explore the universe.
Located in the constellation Sagittarius, near Corona Australis, NGC 6723 offers astronomy enthusiasts a chance to look towards a remarkable collection of stars that has existed for billions of years.
The Hubble image serves as a reminder of the extraordinary scale and age of the universe, where seemingly tiny points of light can represent ancient stars that have survived for billions of years.