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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Quintuplet Cluster
Title
Quintuplet Cluster
Title
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Full Description:
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Penetrating 25,000 light-years of obscuring dust and myriad stars, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the clearest view yet of one of the largest young clusters of stars inside our Milky Way galaxy, located less than 100 light-years from the very center of the Galaxy. Having the equivalent mass greater than 10,000 stars like our sun, the monster cluster is ten times larger than typical young star clusters scattered throughout our Milky Way. It is destined to be ripped apart in just a few million years by gravitational tidal forces in the galaxy's core. But in its brief lifetime it shines more brightly than any other star cluster in the Galaxy. Quintuplet Cluster is 4 million years old. It has stars on the verge of blowing up as supernovae. It is the home of the brightest star seen in the galaxy, called the Pistol star. This image was taken in infrared light by Hubble's NICMOS camera in September 1997. The false colors correspond to infrared wavelengths. The galactic center stars are white, the red stars are enshrouded in dust or behind dust, and the blue stars are foreground stars between us and the Milky Way's center. The cluster is hidden from direct view behind black dust clouds in the constellation Sagittarius. If the cluster could be seen from earth it would appear to the naked eye as a 3rd magnitude star, 1/6th of a full moon's diameter apart.
Full_Description
Penetrating 25,000 light-years of obscuring dust and myriad stars, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the clearest view yet of one of the largest young clusters of stars inside our Milky Way galaxy, located less than 100 light-years from the very center of the Galaxy. Having the equivalent mass greater than 10,000 stars like our sun, the monster cluster is ten times larger than typical young star clusters scattered throughout our Milky Way. It is destined to be ripped apart in just a few million years by gravitational tidal forces in the galaxy's core. But in its brief lifetime it shines more brightly than any other star cluster in the Galaxy. Quintuplet Cluster is 4 million years old. It has stars on the verge of blowing up as supernovae. It is the home of the brightest star seen in the galaxy, called the Pistol star. This image was taken in infrared light by Hubble's NICMOS camera in September 1997. The false colors correspond to infrared wavelengths. The galactic center stars are white, the red stars are enshrouded in dust or behind dust, and the blue stars are foreground stars between us and the Milky Way's center. The cluster is hidden from direct view behind black dust clouds in the constellation Sagittarius. If the cluster could be seen from earth it would appear to the naked eye as a 3rd magnitude star, 1/6th of a full moon's diameter apart.
Full Description
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Date:
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09/16/1999
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NASA Center:
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Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA_Center
Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Deep Space Studies
Subject_Category
Deep Space Studies
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Hubble
Subject_Category
Hubble
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Space
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Keywords:
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Infrared
Keywords
Infrared
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Camera
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Keywords:
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and
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Keywords:
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Star
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Keywords:
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Telescope
Keywords
Telescope
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Hubble
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Keywords:
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HST
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Keywords:
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Spectrometer
Keywords
Spectrometer
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Milky
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Keywords:
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Way
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Keywords:
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Galaxy
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Keywords:
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Cluster
Keywords
Cluster
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Quintuplet
Keywords
Quintuplet
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Pistol
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Keywords:
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Sagittarius
Keywords
Sagittarius
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Near
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Keywords:
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Multi-Object
Keywords
Multi-Object
Keywords
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Keywords:
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NICMOS
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Spectrometer
facet_what
Spectrometer
facet_what
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facet_what:
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NICMOS
facet_what
NICMOS
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sagittarius
facet_what
Sagittarius
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
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facet_when:
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September 1997
facet_when
September 1997
facet_when
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facet_when:
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09-16-1999
facet_when
09-16-1999
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1997
facet_when_year
1997
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1999
facet_when_year
1999
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PR99-30B
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0908
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0908
UID
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Center:
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HSTI
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Center Number:
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PR99-30B
Center_Number
PR99-30B
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2000-000908
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2000-000908
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA, Don Figer, STScI
Creator-Photographer
NASA, Don Figer, STScI
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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