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From Earth to the Universe: Picture of the day


NGC 6520

About 190 million years ago, a dust cloud coalesced and began the process of star birth. Today, NGC 6520 is ablaze with hot, massive young stars arranged in a dandelion seed-shaped cluster. Not far away lie the gecko-shaped remains of what may be their birth cloud, Barnard 86. Both are set against a glittering gold-toned backdrop of stars that are far more distant and populate parts of the inner regions and bulge of our Galaxy.

Credit: Gemini Observatory.

In 2009, the "From Earth to the Universe" project brought astronomy to millions of people around the world. Take a tour of just some of the locations in a short video on the FETTU Highlights page.