These two images may look strikingly different, they are actually photographs of the same cosmic object: NGC 1850,Utilizing the Hubble instrument, different filters with various specified colors were used to investigate the particular wavelengths of light emitted from this object. The image with blue opacity includes visible light (which our human eyes can detect) and some near-infrared light, while the image with red opacity covers a much wider range of near-infrared light, as well as ultraviolet light. This bright, starry scene contains the hottest and youngest stars in our universe, and ultraviolet observations are the ideal way to detect the light from them. While an image with red opacity can cover a wider range from the near ultraviolet to the beginning of the infrared spectrum, the ultraviolet observations will give us the clearest picture of these stars.
This stunning celestial sight is the 100 million-year-old globular cluster located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It is a remarkable formation composed of billions of stars, approximately 160,000 light-years away in the constellation Dorado. It is an incredible reminder of the immense beauty and power of our universe. NGC 1850 is an extraordinary globular cluster, as it is a spherical collection of densely packed stars held together by mutual gravitational attraction, but with a unique feature – its stars are relatively young compared to most globular clusters. NGC 1850 is a globular cluster composed of young stars, and is an anomaly in our Milky Way galaxy – globular clusters with young stars such as NGC 1850 are not present in our own galaxy. This fact presents a unique opportunity to study the characteristics and dynamics of star formation in a distinct environment.
In 2021, an incredible discovery was made in NGC 1850 when scientists detected the presence of a black hole. This discovery has been further confirmed by the detection of many brighter blue stars, which are located on the right of the second image. These stars burn hotter and die younger than red stars, making them even more fascinating and exciting to observe. The remarkable second image of the night sky reveals a stunning sight of around 200 red giants. These giant stars have already run out of the hydrogen in their cores and are now fusing hydrogen further from the core, causing their outer layers to expand and cool, resulting in their red color. Surrounding the cluster is a mysterious veil of nebulosity, composed of diffuse dust and gas, theorized to result from the explosive force of supernova blasts. This veil is visible in the first image as blue structures, and in the second image as red structures,The significance of this phenomenon is still being studied, as researchers seek to understand its origins and implications.
NGC 1850 mass roughly 63,000 times more massive than the Sun and has a core which is around 20 light-years in diameter. Astronomers have made use of the powerful Hubble Space Telescope to observe a large star cluster at a variety of wavelengths, giving them an unprecedented opportunity to study the process of star formation. By combining these observations with advanced analysis techniques, astronomers are now better equipped to understand the mechanics of stellar formation and evolution.
