Stars swarm around the center of bright globular cluster M15. This ball of over 100,000 stars is a relic from the early years of our Galaxy which was long before our Earth existed and when ancient globs of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy. It continues to orbit the Milky Way's center. M15, one of about 150 globular clusters remaining with M3 being one of the largest, is noted for being easily visible with only binoculars, having at its center one of the densest concentrations of stars known, and containing a high abundance of variable stars and pulsars. This image was taken by the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, and it spans about 120 light-years. It shows the dramatic increase in density of stars towards the cluster's center. M15 lies about 35,000 light-years away toward the constellation of Pegasus (the Winged Horse). Recent evidence suggests that a massive black hole might reside as the center of M15.
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