@space_telescopes

class="content__text" You are gazing at an open star cluster, a loosely bound group of hundreds of stars. Open star clusters aren’t particularly stable—their stars might disperse after a few million years. One star in this cluster (the largest at the center, with four diffraction spikes) captured researchers’ attention. It appeared to be breaking the norms for a star’s highest possible mass. After taking more measurements, they hit on the reason: It’s not one, but three stars! #HubbleDiscoveries #gorgeous #stars #TheProcessOfScience #Hubble Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain). ALT TEXT: The lower third shows pinkish gas and dust, with one spire-like pillar toward the right. Above this, the background is mostly black, but speckled with stars. The largest stars, each with four diffraction spikes, appear at the center in a loose cluster.

February 19, 2023