Star Cluster Messier 18 and its surroundings | ESO

Star Cluster Messier 18 and its surroundings | ESO

The small smattering of bright blue stars upper left of center in this huge 615 megapixel ESO image is the perfect cosmic laboratory in which to study the life and death of stars. Known as Messier 18 this open star cluster contains stars that formed together from the same massive cloud of gas and dust. This image was captured by the OmegaCAM camera attached to the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) located at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in Chile.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: August 10, 2016

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #StarCluster #Messier18 #M18 #Sagittarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Telescope #VLT #Chile #ParanalObservatory #Europe #STEM #Education