A newly released image from the Hubble telescope features a dazzling globular star cluster located approximately 20,000 light-years from Earth.

On March 18, 2023 at 11:12 AM EDT that a newly released image from the Hubble Space Telescope features Messier 55, a loosely concentrated globular star cluster located approximately 20,000 light-years away.

The cluster, also known as M55, is characterized by its large size and brightness, but lacks a dense core, and contains many faint stars.

The difficulty in observing M55 in suboptimal conditions has been a challenge since its discovery by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1752, with cataloging taking place in 1778.

Although only a portion of the globular cluster appears in the image, the cluster stretches about 100 light-years in diameter.

Due to the intense gravitational attraction among its stars, the entire cluster presents a spherical shape.

Although the view is somewhat obscured by a denser layer of atmosphere, water vapor, and light pollution for northern observers, the Hubble telescope is capable of resolving individual stars within the cluster.