Star-forming nebula (H II region)

WISE G358.552-00.026

Hydrogen glowing round newborn massive stars — these trace the spiral arms.

Measured

Distance
about 27,723 light-years

How far, from the Sun

About 27,700 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light27,700 years
  • Voyager 1's speed493 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h299 billion years

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

Facts

  • placed at the Galactic Centre, where its gas moves with the central disc
  • About 11 light-years across in infrared.

Where this comes from

  • H II regions: Anderson et al. 2014, ApJS 212, 1 (the WISE Catalog of Galactic H II Regions), via the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg (DOI 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.