This image from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) is likely the best of the star cluster NGC 4833.
This image shows a small but bright globular cluster called NGC 4833, which lies in the constellation of Musca, about 22,000 light-years away. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.
NGC 4833 is a globular star cluster, a spherical grouping of gravitationally bound stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite.
Also known as ESO 65-SC4, C 105, Lac I-4 and GCL 21, NGC 4833 lies about 22,000 light-years from us in the constellation of Musca.
It was discovered on March 17, 1752 by French astronomer and priest Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille.
NGC 4833 resides in a dusty region near the Milky Way’s Galactic plane and is one of about 150 globular clusters belonging to our Galaxy.
According to astronomers, star clusters like NGC 4833 contain some of the oldest stars in the Galaxy.
Studying these ancient objects can help scientists to unravel how a galaxy formed and evolved, and give an idea of the galaxy’s age.
Hubble has observed many of these clusters during its time in orbit around our planet, each as breathtaking as the last.
This image of NGC 4833 is composed of infrared and optical observations from Hubble’s ACS instrument.
Two filters – the broad V-band filter F606W and the near-IR filter F814W – were used to sample various wavelengths.
The color results from assigning different colors to each grayscale image associated with an individual filter.
