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The Arches Cluster

Also Arches

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The densest known cluster of young stars in the Milky Way, near the Galactic Centre.

Measured

Distance
27,000 light-years
Size
about 3 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Sagittarius
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 45m 50s, Dec −28.82°

How far, from the Sun

About 27,000 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light27,000 years
  • Voyager 1's speed480 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h291 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • It is only about 2 to 4 million years old; estimates differ.
  • Dust hides it from visible light; it is seen in infrared and X-rays.

Where this comes from

  • Placed at the Galactic Centre's distance, GRAVITY Collaboration 2022, A&A 657, L12 (8,277 ± 9 pc), the value used for Sagittarius A*; it lies within about 100 light-years of it on the sky
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.