May 6
Stars in the Galactic Core
Observed in 2012
These colorful stars reside at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, about 26,000 light-years from Earth. Aging red-giant stars coexist with their more plentiful younger cousins, the smaller, white, Sun-like stars, in this crowded region of our galaxy's central hub.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope