Star Clusters Near the Center of the Galaxy
The Arches cluster is so dense that over 100,000 of its stars would fill a spherical region in space whose radius is the distance between the Sun and its nearest neighbor, the star Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light-years away. At least 150 of its stars are among the brightest ever seen in the Galaxy.
Credit:
Don Figer ( Space Telescope Science Institute) and NASA/ESA
About the Image
NASA press release
NASA caption
NASA caption
| Id: | opo9930b |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 16 September 1999, 15:00 |
| Size: | 505 x 507 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Arches Cluster |
| Distance: | 25000 light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Infrared J |
1.1 μm | Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS |
| Infrared H |
1.6 μm | Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS |
| Infrared Pa-alpha |
1.87 μm | Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS |
| Infrared Near-IR |
2.05 μm | Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS |
