Posted on 02/18/2022 2:19:13 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: Galactic or open star clusters are young. The swarms of stars are born together near the plane of the Milky Way, but their numbers steadily dwindle as cluster members are ejected by galactic tides and gravitational interactions. Caught in this telescopic frame over three degrees across are three good examples of galactic star clusters, seen toward the southern sky's nautical constellation Puppis. Below and left, M46 is some 5,500 light-years in the distance. Right of center M47 is only 1,600 light-years away and NGC 2423 (top) is about 2500 light-years distant. Around 300 million years young M46 contains a few hundred stars in a region about 30 light-years across. Sharp eyes can spot a planetary nebula, NGC 2438, at about 11 o'clock against the M46 cluster stars. But that nebula's central star is billions of years old, and NGC 2438 is likely a foreground object only by chance along the line of sight to youthful M46. Even younger, aged around 80 million years, M47 is a smaller and looser star cluster spanning about 10 light-years. Star cluster NGC 2423 is pushing about 750 million years in age though. NGC 2423 is known to harbor an extrasolar planet, detected orbiting one of its red giant stars.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Three clusters of puppies, as requested.
They’re really cute.
Fantastic!
I like yours better!
Beautiful! Three more โJewel Boxโ clusters in the sky!
Star clusters are some of the funnest objects to see in the sky through a telescope. Or binoculars.
I’m sorry young man, but your x-rays indicate that you have three clusters in your puppis.
Oh you beat me to it!
I think I saw it, but after you posted I am sure.
They didn’t mention it that I saw, but M46 also has a planetary nebula included.
If I stretch the image with my fingers I can see another small cluster about halfway on an arc berween M46 and M47.
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