Messier 70

Messier 70 (M70) is one of three globular clusters that appear in the Teapot (an asterism, or formation of star) in the Sagittarius constellation. The others are M54 and M69.

M70 is one of around 20% of the Milky Way’s globular clusters that have undergone a core collapse. This means the heavier stars in the cluster have congregated very near its core.

Globular clusters are ancient. They are many billions of years old—usually 10 to 13 billion years old—almost as old as the universe itself. The stars they contain tend to be very old as well, because star formation inside the cluster has largely ceased. The formation of globular clusters is not well understood. Current research leans toward the idea that they formed from very dense molecular clouds in the early universe. Some larger globular clusters may once have been dwarf galaxies whose larger star populations were stripped away from the core by larger galaxies.

M70 Facts

Distance: 30,500 light years 

Number of stars: 105,000

Diameter: 68 light years

Age: 12.8 billion years