Globular Star Cluster

It is thought that, as the Milky Way formed from a gas of hydrogen and helium atoms, the gas broke up into hundreds of smaller clouds. Gravity made each of these little clouds shrink even more. Stars began to form inside them. Each cloud formed millions of stars.

Globular Cluster M80 image by the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA)

We call them Globular Star Clusters. With a good telescope we can still see these large ancient star clusters today, dotted around the outside of the Galaxy where we live.

These early clusters now form a halo around the centre of our Galaxy.