                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2025 May 23

                           NGC 6366 vs 47 Ophiuchi
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco

   Explanation: Most globular star clusters roam the halo of our Milky Way
   galaxy, but globular cluster NGC 6366 lies close to the galactic plane.
   About 12,000 light-years away toward the constellation Ophiuchus, the
   cluster's starlight is dimmed and reddened by the Milky Way's
   interstellar dust when viewed from planet Earth. As a result, the stars
   of NGC 6366 look almost golden in this telescopic scene, especially
   when seen next to relatively bright, bluish, and nearby star 47
   Ophiuchi. Compared to the hundred thousand stars or so gravitationally
   bound in distant NGC 6366, 47 Oph itself is a binary star system a mere
   100 light-years away. Still, the co-orbiting stars of 47 Oph are too
   close together to be individually distinguished in the image.

                  Tomorrow's picture: Deimos before sunrise
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