Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2023 March 16
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                     Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
   Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Neil Corke, Heaven's Mirror Observatory

   Explanation: Globular star cluster [5]Omega Centauri, also known as NGC
   5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is [6]packed with about
   10 million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150
   light-years in diameter. It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so
   known [7]globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.
   Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and
   composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of
   [8]different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical
   abundances. In fact, [9]Omega Cen may be the [10]remnant core of a
   small galaxy merging with the Milky Way. Omega Centauri's red giant
   stars (with a [11]yellowish hue) are easy to pick out in this
   [12]sharp, color telescopic view.

                       Tomorrow's picture: serpentine
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2303/NGC5139_Omega_Centauri_3700px.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/NeilCorke/
   5. http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/omega-centauri-milky-ways-prize-star-cluster
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080906.html
   7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_clusters
   8. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021A&A...653L...8L/abstract
   9. http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0809.html
  10. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019NatAs...3..667I/abstract
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151224.html
  12. https://www.astrobin.com/cb8do1/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230315.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230316
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230317.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/