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Open star cluster

Westerlund 2

Also Gum 29 cluster

Open in OuranosCompare its size

A compact young cluster of very massive stars inside the glowing nebula Gum 29, in Carina.

Measured

Distance
14,780 light-years
Size
about 6 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Carina
Position (J2000)
RA 10h 24m 01s, Dec −57.76°

How far, from the Sun

14,800 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light14,800 years
  • Voyager 1's speed263 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h160 billion years

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

Facts

  • Hubble's 25th-anniversary image in 2015 showed it.
  • Gaia picks out about 101 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 4532.7 pc (16th–84th percentile 4454.2–4614 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.