in virtually all other globular clusters, these are quite young. The central white point is the galaxy’s bright core, surrounded by tendrils of gas and clouds of dust.
    All of this new information has led some astronomers to believe that the galaxy may have experi- enced not one, but two catastrophic events: a collision with another galaxy and the formation of a central, supermassive black hole. A collision would explain why a middle-aged galaxy suddenly has begun to develop globular clusters; the black hole would explain the almost explosive appearance of the gas and dust around the center.