Losing stars to the Milky Way (artist's impression)

An artist's impression of the orbit of the globular cluster Messier 12 in the Milky Way. Due to gravitational disruption, this cluster continuously loses stars, in particular light ones. This process is enhanced when it passes through the central plane in which most of the Galaxy's stars and nebulae are located. The cluster emerges in a less dense state after such a passage. The stars that are lost move on in orbits similar to that of the cluster and populate the halo of the Milky Way.