In this week's #HubbleFriday post, a spectacular star cluster has been reimaged using the latest Hubble data and improved processing techniques.

The cluster in the photo is known as M72 (Messier 72) and is located about 50,000 light-years from Earth. M72 is a globular cluster, a round collection of stars tightly bound together by gravity.

There are about 150 globular clusters discovered so far in our Milky Way galaxy.

Image description:

Thousands of bright stars fill a spherical globular cluster. In the center, most of the stars appear blue. The globular cluster's bright blue-white core is surrounded by a thick shell of more yellow stars, which appear to vary in size depending on their position in the globular cluster. These stars appear smaller and sparser in the corners of the image, spreading out beyond the edges of the image. A distant spiral galaxy can also be seen in the lower left corner of the image.

 

Image credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, G. Piotto, M. Libralato

It's a beautiful star cluster, isn't it?