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Zoom into 47 Tucanae (Narrated)

This video zooms in from a view of the southern constellation Tucana to the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, which sits 16,700 light-years away from Earth. 47 Tucanae is 10.5 billion years old and is one of the brightest of our Milky Way galaxy's more than 150 globular clusters. Astronomers used Hubble Space Telescope images to accurately measure the changes in positions of more than 30,000 stars in 47 Tucanae. Linking these stars' ages and their orbital dynamics allowed researchers to identify two distinct generations of stars in the cluster. The Milky Way's globular clusters are the surviving relics from our galaxy's formation, and this analysis offers scientists better insight into the early history of our galaxy.
  • Release Date
    July 18, 2013
  • Science Release
    Hubble Shows Link Between Stars’ Ages and Their Orbits in Dense Cluster
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon and M. Estacion (STScI)

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Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

These images showcase the ancient globular cluster 47 Tucanae, a dense swarm of up to a million stars. The image at left shows the entire cluster, which measures about 120 light-years across. Located in the southern constellation Tucana, the cluster is about 16,700 light-years...

47 Tucanae – Hubble

47 Tucanae – Hubble

47 Tucanae – Digitized Sky Survey (DSS)

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Compass and Scale Image for 47 Tucanae

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Evolution of 47 Tuc Stellar Populations

Evolution of 47 Tuc Stellar Populations

This illustration shows the evolution of two populations of stars in the ancient globular cluster 47 Tucanae. The first panel shows a grouping of red stars, an older population containing fewer chemical elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. These stars move in random,...

Zoom into 47 Tucanae (No Narration)

Zoom into 47 Tucanae (No Narration)

This video zooms in from a view of the southern constellation Tucana to the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, which sits 16,700 light-years away from Earth. 47 Tucanae is 10.5 billion years old and is one of the brightest of our Milky Way galaxy's more than 150 globular clusters....

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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