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Credit & Copyright: Sergio Eguivar
(Buenos Aires Skies
Explanation:
Many stars form in
clusters.
Galactic or
open star
clusters are relatively young
swarms of bright stars
born
together near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Separated by about a degree on the sky, two
nice examples are M46
(upper left) 5,400 light-years in the distance
and M47
(lower right) only 1,600 light-years away toward
the nautical constellation
Puppis.
Around 300 million years
young M46
contains a few hundred stars in a region about 30 light-years
across.
Aged 80 million years,
M47 is a
smaller but looser cluster
of about 50 stars spanning 10 light-years.
But
this portrait of stellar youth also contains
an ancient
interloper.
The small, colorful patch of glowing gas in
M46 is actually
the planetary nebula
NGC 2438 - the
final phase in the life of a sun-like star billions
of years old.
NGC
2438 is estimated to be only 3,000 light-years distant
and likely represents a foreground object, only by chance appearing
along our line of sight to youthful M46.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 46 - NGC 2438 - open cluster - planetary nebula
Publications with words: M 46 - NGC 2438 - open cluster - planetary nebula
See also:
- Jones Emberson 1
- NGC 7789: Caroline s Rose
- APOD: 2024 July 2 Á NGC 602: Oyster Star Cluster
- The 37 Cluster
- APOD: 2024 February 12 Á HFG1 & Abell 6: Planetary Nebulae
- APOD: 2023 December 24 Á NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf
- APOD: 2023 October 3 Á MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula