The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a photo of a globular cluster that is located 20,000 light-years away from the Earth.
The globular cluster is known as NGC 6717 and is located in the constellation Sagittarius.
The image was released by the European Space Agency (ESA), which manages the Hubble Space Telescope along with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The Hubble Space Telescope has been taking snaps of space objects ever since its launch, including different galaxies, nebulae, and even uncommon and super rare phenomena in Space.
Hubble Space Telescope Snaps Photo of Globular Cluster
The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a photo of a globular cluster called NGC 6717, which is located 20,000 light-years away from our planet. The image has been released to the public by the ESA.
"This star-studded image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts NGC 6717, which lies more than 20 000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius," the website of the ESA reads.
According to a report by Space, a globular cluster is defined as "a round collection of stars that are tightly held together by gravity."
Per the ESA, globular clusters tend to have more stars at the center compared to the edges, which give them the look they are known for. Some globular clusters are easier to study for scientists.
However, not all the stars you see in the image actually belong to the globular cluster. Some of these stars are actually located much closer to our planet than the globular cluster itself.
"Bright foreground stars close to Earth are surrounded by criss-cross diffraction spikes formed by starlight interacting with the structures supporting Hubble's secondary mirror," the ESA's website reads.
The Hubble Space Telescope
NASA describes the Hubble Space Telescope as "a large, space-based observatory, which has revolutionized astronomy since its launch and deployment by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990."
The space telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.
The Hubble has had five servicing missions throughout the years in which its parts were either updated or replaced.
Related Article: NASA Hubble Space Telescope: After 30 Years of Service, Hubble Will Have a Different Birthday
The Universe's Photographer Since 1990
Ever since it was deployed in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has been taking photos of different space objects and celestial bodies found in Space.
The Hubble Space Telescope has taken photos of different galaxies through the years. It has also taken breathtaking photos of different nebulae found in the universe.
It has even taken photos of uncommon phenomena in different galaxies. One of which is the uncommon Herbig-Haro object, which the Hubble Space Telescope snapped a photo of last month.
The image of the Herbig-Haro object was described as a photo of what looked like a blue "sword" piercing through a heart-shaped cloud of gas and dust.
Another example of a rare sighting is its photo of the Einstein Ring, which was taken last month as well.
Also Read: NASA's Hubble Shares Image of Very Rare 'Einstein Ring'
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Written by Isabella James
