Constructing the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram for Globular Star Cluster Omega Centauri

A real Hubble Space Telescope color image of the core of the globular star cluster Omega Centauri is used to construct a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of the stellar populations in the cluster. When stars are sorted by brightness and color, they can be used to create a graph that astronomers use to trace cluster evolution.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Anderson, R. van der Marel, G. Bacon, and M. Estacion (STScI)
Additional information is available on HubbleSite:
hubblesite.org/newscenter/arch...

[@piranha031091]

That is some beautiful visualization!

[@tuulaastala5521]

Fantastic

[@Justin_Martin]

Beautiful view 🇺🇸👑💕

[@zbohemzvolen1346]

Very useful

[@Amaraticando]

Why didn't you show me this 20 years ago? :(

[@SPL-6]

Kewl!

[@togunter]

Awesome! I can see how stars slowly walk from the main sequence into being red giants, but I don't see any stars in between red giant and blue stars. I assume this is because it is a sudden transition not represented by any of the stars in this cluster? Can anyone who knows comment?

[@jclkaytwo]

usually the main sequence extends to the blue giants, but in this case the main sequence turns off to the giant section earlier. the blue stars that are separated from the main sequence in globular clusters are called "blue stragglers"

[@starpawsy]

8 years later ... It is now suspected that the blue giants are not part of Omega at all, but foreground stars. Given the subtended size of the cluster, and its placement against the Centaurus arm of the Milky Way with its vast population of blue giants, the measured number of blue giants thus accidentally included matches reasonably closely with the expected number.

[@togunter]

@@starpawsy Can GAIA data be used to confirm that the blue giants are in the foreground? Does Omega Centauri just not have stars big enough to have evolved fast enough to be burning blue yet? Thanks for the reply!

[@togunter]

I'm also surprised that the foreground stars still fit relatively cleanly into the HR diagram given that the estimate of their intrinsic brightness from this image should be off due to the fact that they are closer to us than the cluster.

[@starpawsy]

@@togunter We dont have that information. Maybe that's why they are shown as all having the same magnitude? Dunno.

[@MissMarshall]

🤩

[@allerfokki9226]

Здравствуйте Уважаемые, можно чуть подробнее, Спасибо большое.

[@EzEnzi]

why did you do this to me
now i have to do work

[@gregeedelee7995]

hehe, alright ;) (love you)

[@meherbaba-godinhumanform7926]

💖💖💘💘❤❤