May 29, 2014
The atoms in your body have known many forms: star core, drifting dust, ocean mineral, living cell.
Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
Birthday · May 29, 2014
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APOD published May 29, 2014. Credit: CEDIC Team. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Globular star cluster Omega Centauri, also known as NGC 5139, is some 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150 light-years in diameter, the largest and brightest of 200 or so known 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 different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way. This astronomically sharp color image of the classic globular cluster was recorded in March under Chilean skies from Hacienda Los Andes.
Image credit: CEDIC Team