An intense gravitational force holds together thousands of stars in this collection of luminous globular clusters known as NGC 2298. This cosmic image was provided by the Hubble Space Telescope using multiple wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet, near-infrared and visible light. Globular clusters are often located in the dusty outskirts of galaxies and contain some of the oldest known stars. Studying star clusters helps astronomers understand how stars behave and their evolution.

Image description:

Thousands of bright stars shine against black space, more tightly concentrated near the centre of the image. The stars shimmer in shades of white, blue and red, and diffraction spikes can be seen around the stars in the foreground.

In short, don't let anyone dull your sparkle!