Sunny Priyan
NGC 2660 is an open star cluster, containing dozens to hundreds of stars loosely bound by gravity.
Stars in open clusters form from the same gas and dust, sharing similar age and chemical composition.
Unlike globular clusters, open clusters are less dense, making individual stars easier to study.
Their stars can be old or young, and they may disperse after a few million years into the spiral or irregular galaxies where they are born.
The "diffraction spikes" around stars in the image are caused by light reflecting off Hubble's secondary mirror support.
The bright red star with prominent diffraction spikes is a foreground star, not part of the cluster, observed by Hubble to study white dwarf ages.