Globular Cluster M2
Beneath the south pole of our Milky Way Galaxy lies a ball of over 100,000 stars. M2, the second object on Charles Messier 's eighteenth century list of bright diffuse sky objects , is known as a globular cluster , and orbits the center of our Galaxy like nearly 200 other globular clusters left over from the early days of our universe. M2 , pictured above , spans over 150 light-years, lies about 50,000 light-years away, and can be seen with binoculars towards the constellation of Aquarius . Determining the distances and ages to globular clusters like M2 constrains the scale and age of our entire universe.