Globular Star Cluster Omega Centauri

Omega Centauri is one of the biggest star clusters in the Milky Way. This colorful collection of 100,000 stars is from a small region inside the Omega Centauri globular cluster, a dense group of nearly 10 million stars in the constellation of Centaurus. The cluster is 15,800 light-years from Earth and one of the few globular clusters visible to the naked eye. It was first identified as a non-stellar object (not a single star) in 1677, by Edmond Halley, but was observed by man at least as early as 150 A.D. by the Greco-Roman astronomer, Ptolemy. A portion of every Posternauts purchase supports young minds through the scholarship fund of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® Foundation. Learn More Object Name: Omega Centauri, NGC 5139 Release Date: Sep 9, 2009 Image Credits: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team