While these two images may look strikingly different, they are actually images of the same cosmic object: NGC 1850. Although both images were taken by the same Hubble instrument, certain wavelengths of light emitted from these objects were used to examine different filters with different colors. . A blue nebula image contains visible light (which our human eye can detect) and some near infrared light, while a red nebula image (also another ‘point’ of the same object) covers a much wider range than near ultraviolet light. beginning of the infrared spectrum. Ultraviolet observations are ideal for detecting light from the hottest and youngest stars, as seen in this bright star image.

This 100 million globular cluster is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which accompanies the Milky Way and is the birthplace of billions of stars. The cluster is located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellation of Doradis. A typical globular cluster is a spherical collection of tightly packed stars held together by their mutual gravitational attraction. However, unlike most globular clusters, the stars in NGC 1850 are relatively young. Globular clusters with young stars such as NGC 1850 do not exist in our own Milky Way galaxy.

Astrophysicists suggest that when the first generation of stars was born in NGC 1850, the stars ejected materials such as dust and gas into the surrounding space. The density of the newly formed star cluster was so high that this ejected material could not escape the cluster’s gravity, forcing it to stay nearby. The cluster’s intense gravity also pulled hydrogen and helium from its surroundings. These two gas sources combined to form second-generation stars, increasing the density and size of this globular cluster.

NGC 1850’s mass is about 63,000 times that of the Sun, and its core is about 20 light-years in diameter. Astronomers used Hubble Space Telescope observations over a wide range of wavelengths to image this massive star cluster and learn more about star formation.