WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Astro Minute: Globular Clusters

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

Learn how to spot these distant, dazzling objects in today's episode of Astro Minute!

Welcome to the Astro Minute, where we're exploring the universe 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith, and today we're looking at globular clusters. Globular clusters are some of the oldest objects in the night sky, almost as old as the universe itself. Unlike younger, looser-bound open clusters, like the double cluster and the Pleiades, globular clusters are tight spheres of sometimes millions of older, gravitationally bound stars. More than 160 orbit our Milky Way galaxy in a distant, halo around its center, while tens of thousands more reside in other galaxies and even wander between them. To see these spectacular objects from the northern hemisphere, you'll need optical aid,

a good pair of binoculars, a telescope, or a visit to a local star party or observatory. In springtime skies, look for M13, the Great Hercules cluster, and M3, both dazzling globulars containing hundreds of thousands of ancient stars. That's your Astro Minute.