Hubble image of globular cluster M30 released

NASA and ESA released a Hubble Space Telescope image of Messier 30 on November 5, 2026. The image is described as providing a lesson in galactic history.

Messier 30, also called M30, is a globular cluster in Capricornus, 27500 light-years away. Its name honors Charles Messier, a French astronomer whose catalog listed the object among diffuse objects that could be confused with comets.

Globular clusters hold tens of thousands to millions of stars, orbit the outskirts of galaxies, and are 11.5-13.5 billion years old. The Milky Way has at least 150 globular clusters, and the nearest is about 6000 light-years away.

Harlow Shapley measured distances to dozens of globular clusters, found that the Sun is not in the center of the galaxy, and located the galactic center toward Sagittarius. His distance measurements were incorrect, and he overestimated the galaxy's size about twice.

M30 moves in an orbit opposite the galaxy's spin, and the Milky Way may have captured the cluster.

Hubble has observed M30 multiple times, and the released image combines data from three observing programs. Those programs include an Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) survey of Milky Way globular clusters, Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) observations using three bluer-light filters, and an ACS revisit supporting a 15-year stellar motion comparison.

Hubble's longevity enabled the 15-year stellar-motion comparison. The ACS survey revealed stars down to 20% solar mass, while WFC3 data are critical for blue straggler stars and multiple populations.

The released image was made with ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. Credit is given as ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Libralato, G. Piotto, and A. Sarajedini.

For readers tracking NASA and ESA space science, the release shows Hubble continuing to operate across ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths while combining multiple observing programs into a released image.

Globular clusters are described as time capsules preserving original chemistry, and the observing programs include a 15-year stellar motion comparison. That makes this release relevant to galactic history and to studies of blue straggler stars and multiple populations.