Say hello to the star-studded spectacle in NASA’s new Hubble image sharing

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Even from our limited perspective here on Earth, we know that outer space is a vast emptiness place. It is this knowledge that makes this view of NGC 6380 even more surreal.

Hubble’s latest image post highlights a globular cluster that has disappeared by many (and, as NASA notes, rather boring) since its existence was first recorded in 1826. However, the actual view of NGC 6380 is nothing boring.

Look at this gorgeous view of the stars….

NGC 6380 globular cluster, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3. Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA, E. Noyola

This bright blue light above the image is not actually part of NGC 6380. The globular cluster, a spherical formation of stars held together by gravity, is 35,000 light-years from Earth. Our blue friend, the star nicknamed HD 159073, is much closer at just 4,000 light-years away

Like most things that live in deep space, our knowledge of NGC 6380 is limited by what we can observe from a distance. It’s part of the constellation Scorpio – yes, this chaos of stars is just one point of light to our naked human eyes. But as you can see above, it’s absolutely amazing when we zoom in for a closer view.

See also: Two galaxies collide in the chaotic Hubble image

Images like this are only possible because Hubble is still working. The more than 30-year-old satellite is nearing the end of its life, which is due to launch with the James Webb Space Telescope in late 2021. Even Hubble operations were halted again in June when the satellite’s onboard computer stopped working, but This problem fortunately appears to have been fixed.

So enjoy this deep space view, compliments to Earth’s best eye in the sky (for now).

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