NASA Hubble official Instagram account recently shared a sparkling image of a loose star cluster called NGC 2040 that contains high-mass stars with short lives. The image has received over 90,000 likes and 200 comments so far.
The caption for the image states, “These young stars are drifting together through space. ✨This loose star cluster is called NGC 2040, and it contains high-mass stars that live brilliant but short lives”. The image captured by Hubble’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. It shows ultraviolet, visible and infrared light, covering a field of view of approximately 1.8 by 1.8 arcminutes. Check it out:
NASA explains that NGC 2040 or LH 88 is essentially a very loose star cluster whose stars have a common origin. There are three different types of stellar associations that are defined by their stellar properties. NGC 2040 is an OB association, a grouping that usually contains 10–100 stars of type O and B. Moreover, just like the other star clusters, LH 88 comprises several high-mass young stars in a large nebula of partially ionized hydrogen gas. It lies in a supergiant shell of gas called LMC 4.
NASA further states that LMC is the third closest galaxy to our Milky Way located some 160 000 light-years away, and is about 100 times smaller than our own. NASA Hubble’s official Instagram page is constantly sharing new images of different cosmic wonders in our universe, so if you’re a space nerd, make sure to follow them on Instagram.