Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Welcome to the Astro Minute! I'm Lauren Smyth, and with the help of astronomer and teacher Kelli Smyth, I'll be your tour guide as we explore the secrets of the night sky sixty seconds at a time.
Welcome to the Astro Minute, where we’re exploring the universe sixty seconds at a time. I’m Lauren Smyth, and today we’re looking at globular clusters.
Globular clusters are some of the oldest objects in the night sky, almost as old as the universe itself. Unlike younger, looser bound open clusters like the Double Cluster and the Pleiades, globular clusters are tight spheres of sometimes millions of mostly older, gravitationally bound stars. More than one hundred sixty orbit our Milky Way Galaxy in a distant halo around its center, while tens of thousands more reside in other galaxies and even wander between them.
To see these spectacular objects from the northern hemisphere, you’ll need optical aid: a good pair of binoculars, a telescope, or a visit to a local star party or observatory. In springtime skies look for M13, the Great Hercules Cluster, and M3, both dazzling globulars containing hundreds of thousands of ancient stars.
That’s your AstroMinute!
Visibility: All year