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Open star cluster

NGC 3603

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One of the most massive young star clusters in the Milky Way, in a giant glowing nebula in Carina.

Measured

Distance
22,100 light-years
Size
about 24 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Carina
Position (J2000)
RA 11h 15m 10s, Dec −61.26°

How far, from the Sun

22,100 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light22,100 years
  • Voyager 1's speed393 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h239 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 central cluster packs thousands of stars, many of them very massive, with half its light inside a radius of about 15 light-years.
  • Gaia picks out about 215 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 6775.2 pc (16th–84th percentile 6678.9–6874.4 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.