photo #5575973

This is a globular cluster within a cloud in Outer Space known as the Large Magellanic Cloud, a spiral galaxy some 163,000 light years distant from us. The globular clusters found in galaxies resemble fireworks frozen mid-bang. They are stable spherical clusters of tens of thousands or even millions of stars that are held together by gravity. They are often the oldest features within a galaxy, and some are only slightly younger than the universe itself. This one, which goes by the fetching name of NGC 2210, has been estimated at 11.6 billion years old, so it will have witnessed a few of our New Year’s Eve parties in its time.