Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Messier 2

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 19, 2024 is “Messier 2,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , G. Piotto et al.. The original explanation runs about 134 words.

Messier 2
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , G. Piotto et al. Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“After the Crab Nebula , this giant star cluster is the second entry in 18th century astronomer Charles Messier’s famous list of things that are not comets. M2 is one of the largest globular star clusters now known to roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.”

— APOD editors, December 19, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 19, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , G. Piotto et al.
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 134 words

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Topics in this entry

The Milky WayNebulaeGalaxiesStar clustersComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 19 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.