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Open star cluster

Messier 103

Also M103 · NGC 581

Open in OuranosCompare its size

An open cluster: a family of stars born together from one cloud, slowly drifting apart.

Measured

Distance
8,241 light-years
Size
about 17 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Cassiopeia
Position (J2000)
RA 1h 33m 26s, Dec +60.66°

How far, from the Sun

8,240 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light8,240 years
  • Voyager 1's speed146 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h88.9 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 in Cassiopeia, near the star Ruchbah.
  • Gaia picks out about 211 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 2526.6 pc (16th–84th percentile 2516.4–2537 pc)
  • 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.