The Discovery of Globular Clusters Found Year: 1665
Discoverer: Abraham Ihle
Location: The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
In 1665, German amateur astronomer Abraham Ihle made a significant discovery by identifying the first globular cluster. Since this pioneering observation, numerous globular clusters have been found in the Milky Way and other galaxies, enriching our understanding of stellar formation and the structure of the universe.
Globular Clusters: Spherical Star Groups Source: ©NASA/Wikimedia
Globular clusters are spherical collections of stars bound together by gravity, ranging in size from a few thousand to millions of stars. The Milky Way is known to contain approximately 150 globular clusters, although this number only accounts for those that have been identified.
Despite their prevalence, much remains unknown about the histories of these clusters and their implications for the evolution of the galaxy.
