Science Source Stock Photo - Globular Cluster NGC 121

Globular Cluster NGC 121

Description: Hubble Telescope image of NGC 121, a globular cluster in the constellation of Tucana (The Toucan). Globular clusters are balls of old stars that orbit the centers of their galaxies like satellites. NGC 121 belongs to one of our neighboring galaxies, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). It was discovered in 1835 by English astronomer John Herschel, and in recent years it has been studied in detail by astronomers wishing to learn more about how stars form and evolve. NGC 121 is around 10 billion years old, making it the oldest cluster in its galaxy; all of the SMC's other globular clusters are 8 billion years old or younger. However, NGC 121 is still several billions of years younger than its counterparts in the Milky Way and in other nearby galaxies like the Large Magellanic Cloud. The reason for this age gap is not completely clear, but it could indicate that cluster formation was initially delayed for some reason in the SMC, or that NGC 121 is the sole survivor of an older group of star clusters.

Credit:

ESA/Hubble & NASA/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2658372

Legacy Identifier: JA9905

Type: Image

Size: 3222px × 3148px (~29 MB)

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