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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

NGC 6934 from Gemini North

Explanation: What's going on near the center of globular cluster NGC 6934? The blur caused by the Earth's atmosphere has prevented astronomers from discerning individual stars in this unusual environment. Telescopes in space can help , but the new Gemini North telescope took the above picture from the ground. In infrared light , Gemini was able to use its adaptive optic mirrors to resolve stars even near the globular cluster's center. NGC 6934 is a 15 billion-year-old ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. Dating stars in ancient globular clusters like NGC 6934 provide valuable constraints on the minimum age of the universe .

Date June 30, 1999
Credit Credit: Gemini Obs., NSF, & U. Hawaii IfA
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.