Andromeda
Log inJoin

Open star cluster

Messier 38

Also M38 · NGC 1912 · Starfish Cluster

Open in OuranosCompare its size

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

Measured

Distance
3,540 light-years
Size
about 22 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Auriga
Position (J2000)
RA 5h 28m 40s, Dec +35.82°

How far, from the Sun

3,540 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light3,540 years
  • Voyager 1's speed62.9 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h38.2 billion years

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

Facts

  • Its brightest stars are often said to trace a cross or the Greek letter pi.
  • Gaia picks out about 1,072 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 1085.5 pc (16th–84th percentile 1084.3–1086.6 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.