NGC 1854 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Globular cluster NGC 1854 is located about 135,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our closest cosmic neighbors and a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The Large Magellanic Cloud is a hotbed of vigorous star formation. Rich in interstellar gas and dust, the galaxy is home to approximately 60 globular clusters and 700 open clusters. These clusters are frequently the subject of astronomical research, as the Large Magellanic Cloud and its smaller sibling, the Small Magellanic Cloud, are the only systems known to contain clusters at all stages of evolution. Hubble is often used to study these clusters as its extremely high-resolution cameras can resolve individual stars, even at the clusters’ crowded cores, revealing their mass, size, and degree of evolution.