Euclid image of NGC 6397
About This Image
Caption
This Euclid image of globular cluster NGC 6397 is speckled with hundreds of thousands of stars, which vary in size and color. Most stars are located at the cluster’s center, where they are bound together by gravity. Scientists studying NGC 6397 found that when they grouped the cluster’s stars by brightness and color they observed a thin brightness “gap” of expected but missing low-mass stars called red dwarfs. This gap is thought to be linked to changes occurring within some stars’ interiors. This is the first time the gap feature was discovered in a globular cluster.
About The Object
- Object Name
- NGC 6397
- Object Description
- Globular Cluster
- R.A. Position
- 17:40:42.09
- Dec. Position
- -53:40:27.6
- Constellation
- Ara
- Distance
- 7800 light-years
About The Object
- Object Name
- A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
- Object Description
- The type of astronomical object.
- R.A. Position
- Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
- Dec. Position
- Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
- Constellation
- One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
- Distance
- The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
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