Messier 2
Explanation:
After the Crab Nebula, M1,
this giant star cluster is the second entry in
18th century astronomer Charles Messier's famous list of
things with are not comets.
M2 is one of the largest globular star clusters now known to
roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.
Though Messier originally described it a nebula without stars, this
stunning
Hubble image resolves stars across the central 40 light-years of M2.
Its population
of stars numbers close to 150,000, concentrated
within a total diameter of around 175 light-years.
About 55,000 light-years distant toward the constellation Aquarius,
this ancient denizen of the Milky Way, also
known as NGC 7089,
is 13 billion years old.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
