Sunny Priyan
This 100 million-year-old globular cluster is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and a birthplace for billions of stars.
The cluster is approximately 160,000 light-years away in the constellation Dorado. Typical of globular clusters, it is a spherical collection of densely packed stars held together by mutual gravitational attraction.
NGC 1850's young stars, unlike those in the Milky Way, ejected matter that remains trapped by the cluster's strong gravity, creating a unique environment for star formation and cosmic evolution.
The intense gravity of the cluster also pulled in hydrogen and helium gas fueling second-generation stars, with scientists discovering a black hole and bright blue stars that burn hotter and die faster than red stars.
NGC 1850 contains 200 red giants with expanded, cooling outer layers, surrounded by blue nebulosity from supernova blasts, creating a stunning veil of diffuse dust and gas around the cluster.
NGC 1850, with 63,000 times the Sun's mass and a 20-light-year core, was imaged by Hubble across multiple wavelengths, revealing insights into its massive star formation and cosmic structure.