半人马座球状星团
(原标题: Globular Cluster Omega Centauri)
2024-07-11
浏览次数: 16
半人马座欧米茄球状星团将大约1000万颗比太阳老得多的恒星包裹在一个直径约150光年的体积里。它也被称为NGC 5139，距离我们1.5万光年，是在银河系光晕中漫游的200多个已知球状星团中最大、最亮的一个。虽然大多数星团都是由年龄和组成相同的恒星组成的，但神秘的半人马座欧米茄显示出不同年龄和化学丰度的不同恒星群的存在。事实上，半人马座可能是一个与银河系合并的小星系的残余核心。半人马座欧米伽的红巨星呈黄色，在这张清晰的望远镜图像中很容易辨认出来。哈勃太空望远镜对密集星团进行了长达20年的探索，发现了在半人马座欧米茄中心附近存在一个巨大黑洞的证据。
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Globular star cluster Omega Centauri packs about 10 million stars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150 light-years in diameter. Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of 15,000 light-years it's the largest and brightest of 200 or so known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way. With a yellowish hue, Omega Centauri's red giant stars are easy to pick out in this sharp telescopic view. A two-decade-long exploration of the dense star cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed evidence for a massive black hole near the center of Omega Centauri.
© Juergen Stein