Star Clusters
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters s, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain fewer than a few hundred members, and are often very young. Open clusters become disrupted over time by the gravitational influence of giant molecular clouds as they move through the galaxy, but cluster members will continue to move in broadly the same direction through space even though they are no longer gravitationally bound
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Ngc 6520 (Open Star Cluster) & Barnard 86 (Ink Spot Nebula )
On the bottom is a young star cluster, NGC 6520. The hot, blue stars of the cluster tip us off to its relative youth. On the top there is the Barnard 86, a dark nebula. This cloud of relatively dense gas and dust, apparently a remnant of the formation of NGC 6520, blocks the light from the star cloud beyond
Telescope: GSO RC10
Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO
Camera: ATIK4000 Mono
Filters: LRGB
Subexposures: 5mins
Total exposure: ~ 3
Location: Near Gythion Lakonias