Hubble reveals the dazzling stars of NGC 6544

 

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of the globular cluster NGC 6544, a dense swarm of tens of thousands of stars that lies more than 8000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.



Globular clusters are ancient relics of the early universe, containing some of the oldest stars in the galaxy. They orbit around the center of the Milky Way, forming a spherical halo that extends far beyond the galactic disk. NGC 6544 is one of the closest globular clusters to the galactic plane, making it an interesting target for astronomers who want to study its origin and evolution.


The image of NGC 6544 combines data from two of Hubble's instruments — the Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 — as well as two separate astronomical observations. The first observation was designed to find a visible counterpart to the radio pulsar discovered in NGC 6544. A pulsar is the rapidly spinning remnant of a dead star, emitting twin beams of electromagnetic radiation like a vast astronomical lighthouse. This pulsar rotates particularly quickly, and astronomers turned to Hubble to help determine how this object evolved in NGC 6544.


The second observation which contributed data to this image was also designed to find the visible counterparts of faint X-ray sources. Their observations could help explain how clusters like NGC 6544 change over time. For example, some of these X-ray sources could be binary systems, where two stars orbit each other and exchange mass and energy. These interactions can produce exotic phenomena such as novae, supernovae, or even black holes.


NGC 6544 lies adjacent to the vast and ethereal Lagoon Nebula - a captivating expanse of gas and dust sculpted by the intense stellar winds emanating from newborn stars. Known for its colossal proportions, the Lagoon Nebula spans an astonishing 55 light-years across and 20 light-years from top to bottom. Previous Hubble images of the nebula incorporated infrared observations to reveal young stars and intricate structures that would be obscured at visible wavelengths by clouds of gas and dust.


The contrast between the ancient stars of NGC 6544 and the youthful stars of the Lagoon Nebula showcases the diversity and beauty of our galaxy, as well as the power and versatility of Hubble.

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