The Hubble Telescope photographed the Pismis 26 cluster. informs NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Globular clusters are groups of stars held together by mutual attraction. They contain thousands of stars and appear almost spherical. Pismis 26 is located 23,000 light-years from Earth and in the constellation Scorpio. It is located near the core of the Milky Way, in a region of increased dust density. This powder scatters the blue part of the spectrum and passes the red, which discolors the cluster.
The stars in the Pismis 26 cluster are highly metallic, meaning they contain many atoms heavier than hydrogen and helium. In particular, they are rich in nitrogen, which is typical for the stars of this region. Pismis 26 may also have lost many stars over time due to the gravity of the galactic core causing the outer layers to eject. Researchers estimate the age of the cluster at 12 billion years.
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