I happen to really like this pic... my guess is that it was chosen for its unique composition. It's different to what you usually see, such as all these very similar looking
images of 47 Tuc.
If we're willing to accept "visible" light images with drastically different response curves to the average human eye (especially H-a sensitivity and lack of colour with low light levels), drastic tone mapping for dynamic range, etc... then why not let the core burn out a little to show that it's a *LOT* brighter than the surrounding sea of stars?
Side note: the
Google search for visually similar images is hilarious... I think some of those reflect people's feelings about this as an APOD!
