Andromeda
Log inJoin

Open star cluster

Messier 23

Also M23 · NGC 6494

Open in OuranosCompare its size

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

Measured

Distance
2,327 light-years
Size
about 24 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Sagittarius
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 56m 56s, Dec −19.00°

How far, from the Sun

2,330 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light2,330 years
  • Voyager 1's speed41.3 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h25.1 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 a rich cluster in Sagittarius, about the size of the full Moon on the sky.
  • Gaia picks out about 1,128 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 713.4 pc (16th–84th percentile 712.9–713.9 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.