Among its other attractions, our galaxy is peppered with about 150 globular clusters: round concentrations of stars that have existed, without much change, since the Milky Way was young. 

This sculpture is a many-body simulation tuned to match the parameters of M13, the great globular cluster in the Hercules constellation.  Among the thousands of stars, there's a careful sprinkle of larger points representing red giants and horizontal branch stars, showing their concentration near the cluster's center.

This piece is laser etched in a cubical crystal 2 1/2" square.

M13 is roughly 100 light years in diameter, with several hundred thousand stars.  In 1974 it was selected as a target for one of the first radio messages addressed to possible extra-terrestrial beings, sent by the Arecibo radio telescope.  If anyone is there when it arrives 26,000 years from now, they are living under a skyful of stars as bright as our moon.

Data for this sculpture was generated in Starlab, authored by Steve McMillan et al.  The simulation was run by David Fisher.

The Globular Cluster Crystal comes with clear rubber feet to avoid scratches on your desk or mantel.  Without a stand, it works best against a dark background.

A Glimpse of Stellar History

The Globular Cluster Crystal offers a close-up, 3D view of one of these ancient objects - familiar to any astronomer, yet still mysterious.