Palomar 12 (center), a globular cluster we stole from the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy about 1.7 billion years ago // Markus Blauensteiner & Oliver Schneider

Palomar 12 // Gary Imm

Palomar 12, a globular cluster on the edge of the Milky Way that was originally born in the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, a satellite of the Milky Way Galaxy that drifted too close and lost stars due to gravitational tides

Foreign Globular Cluster

Palomar 12's position in our galaxy and measured motion suggest its home was once the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, a small satellite of the Milky Way. Disrupted by gravitational tides during close encounters the satellite galaxy has lost its stars to the larger Milky Way. Palomar 12 spans nearly 60 light-years & lies about 60,000 light-years away, toward the constellation Capricornus. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150219.html

Palomar 12 Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA

Palomar 12, a globular cluster, NASA/ESA

Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA