Hubble observes an outstanding open cluster

A twinkling group of stars dominates the middle of this picture. NGC 2002 is an open star cluster that resides roughly 160,000 light-years away from Earth within the Giant Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way containing quite a few star-forming areas. NGC 2002 is about 30 light-years in diameter and is a comparatively younger cluster at 18 million years outdated.

The Giant and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC) are wealthy in younger star clusters, making them excellent laboratories for finding out stellar formation and evolution. Actually, the LMC and SMC are the one programs that include star clusters in any respect phases of evolution whereas additionally being close to sufficient to Earth to be absolutely resolved, that means that one could make out and examine particular person stars.

NGC 2002 is extra spherical than a typical open cluster, which is a kind of star cluster that has low star density and an irregular form because of the weak mutual gravitational attraction of its constituent stars. Particular person stars in an open cluster can usually be noticed, whereas the celebrities in a globular cluster—the opposite major sort of cluster—are sometimes too dense to make out even with highly effective telescopes. Researchers used Hubble’s excessive decision and sensitivity at discerning particular person stars to review NGC 2002.

NGC 2002 incorporates about 1,100 stars. The extra large stars within the cluster are inclined to sink inwards in direction of the middle, whereas the lighter stars transfer away from the middle because the cluster evolves. Seen within the middle of the cluster are 5 purple supergiants, that are bodily large however cooler stars which can be fusing helium after exhausting their hydrogen gasoline.