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Globuar Cluster NGC 6397 is a dense cluster of stars located some 8200 light years away toward the constellation Ara. NGC 6397 is one of the at least 20 globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy that have undergone core collapse, i.e. its core has contracted to a very dense stellar agglomeration. Due to the very high density of stars in the core, collisions between stars are relatively common; in NGC 6397, stars collide about once every few million years. NGC 6397 is one of the nearest globular clusters.
Image courtesy of Space Telescope Science Institute. |
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