NGC 2808 is a globular cluster in the constellation Carina tand is one of the Milky Way's most massive clusters, containing more than a million stars. It is estimated to be around 12.5-billion years old. Investigations with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys imagesfrom  2005 and 2006 unexpectedly found that this cluster is composed of three generations of stars, all born within 200 million years of the clusters formation. Astronomers have argued that globular clusters can produce only one generation of stars, because the radiation from first generation stars would drive the residual gas not consumed in the first star generation phase out of the cluster.  However, the great mass of a cluster such as NGC 2808 may suffice to gravitationally counteract the loss of gaseous matter. Thus, a second and a third generation of stars may form. Omega Centauri has two generations.  An alternative explanation for the three star generations in NGC 2808 is that it may actually be the remnant core of a dwarf galaxy that collided with the Milky Way called the Sausage Galaxy. And all this happened not longer after the 'big bang'. Globular clusters tend to be mostly fossil relics from ancient times and are thus some of the most interesting objects in our night sky. Not only a treat at the eyepiece but potentially a key piece in the cosmological puzzle.

This came from two night's effort. Sadly the first night was mostly garbage from bad seeing but last night was pretty good. Not perfect but pretty good. So we have been getting some decent seeing lately sprinkled between rain and lots of cloud. My only complaint is damn Star Links satellites! How about 8 blazers roaring through a one degree field in a single 3 minute exposure. Early in the evening is worst and for the first half hour I typically throw out half that cannot be cleaned up during integration.