NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has released a new image of the ancient globular cluster NGC 6426 showing stars in red white and blue hues. The image was released to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The featured object is NGC 6426 a globular cluster in the outer halo of the Milky Way. It is estimated to be around 13 billion years old making it one of the oldest such clusters in the galaxy.
The colors in the image represent different wavelengths of light collected by Hubble's filters. Blue indicates hotter stars while red shows cooler stars and some near infrared light.
Astronomers note that the stars have low metallicity resembling the composition of the early universe. Evidence of two chemically distinct populations suggests later stars formed after supernovae from an earlier generation enriched the gas.
The observations form part of an ongoing study of globular clusters to understand the Milky Way's formation. Hubble's work continues alongside data from the James Webb Space Telescope.