Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Stars come in bunches.
Known to some affectionately as 47 Tuc or NGC 104, it is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere . Light takes about 20,000 years to reach us from 47 Tuc which can be seen near the SMC in the constellation of Tucana . Red Giant stars are particularly easy to see in the above photograph . The dynamics of stars near the center of 47 Tuc are not well understood, particularly why there are so few binary systems there. Specific rights apply .