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Open star cluster

Messier 67

Also M67 · NGC 2682 · King Cobra Cluster

Open in OuranosCompare its size

One of the oldest known open clusters, with stars of about the Sun's age and make-up — a favourite laboratory for studying Sun-like stars.

Measured

Distance
2,731 light-years
Size
about 16.2 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Cancer
Position (J2000)
RA 8h 51m 24s, Dec +11.82°

How far, from the Sun

2,730 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light2,730 years
  • Voyager 1's speed48.5 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h29.5 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 age is usually given as about 4 billion years, unusually old for an open cluster.
  • Gaia picks out about 1,844 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 837.3 pc (16th–84th percentile 836.6–837.9 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.