Orion Arm
Encyclopedia
The Orion–Cygnus Arm is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way
galaxy some 3,500 light years across and approximately 10,000 light years in length. The Solar System
(and, therefore, the Earth
) is within the Orion–Cygnus Arm. It is also referred to as the Local Arm, the Orion Arm, the Local Spur or the Orion Spur.
The Orion–Cygnus Arm is named for its proximity to the stars in the Orion constellation. It is located between the Carina–Sagittarius Arm and the Perseus Arm
, the latter being one of the two major arms of the Milky Way. Within the Orion–Cygnus Arm, the solar system and Earth are located close to the inner rim in the Local Bubble
, about half-way along the Arm's length, approximately 8,000 parsec
s (26,000 light-year
s) from the galactic center
.
Image:Orion Arm.JPG|frame|center|Orion and neighboring arms (clickable map)
rect 126 149 188 182 Rosette Nebula
rect 285 116 327 145 Crab Nebula
rect 243 245 284 274 Orion Nebula
rect 299 288 345 312 Trifid Nebula
rect 343 304 384 333 Lagoon Nebula
rect 393 322 434 353 Omega Nebula
rect 445 322 494 353 Eagle Nebula
rect 424 244 483 280 North America Nebula
rect 293 248 319 266 Rigel
rect 225 179 299 246 Orion's Belt
rect 331 211 368 234 Polaris
rect 318 236 353 259 Sun
poly 302 176 303 241 315 242 361 177 Betelgeuse
rect 419 222 458 245 Deneb
poly 0 123 508 118 637 160 637 217 470 163 0 178 Perseus arm
poly 2 202 460 201 633 261 637 326 408 260 1 258 Orion arm
poly 1 284 397 293 633 360 637 477 541 475 357 413 0 400 Sagittarius Arm
desc bottom-left
Image:Nearest_Nebulae_and_Star_clusters.gif|thumb|800px|center|The nearest nebulae and star clusters (clickable map)
rect 396 142 447 173 Rosette Nebula
rect 376 230 426 258 Seagull Nebula
rect 463 264 501 292 Cone Nebula
rect 528 284 576 322 California Nebula
rect 695 117 741 149 Heart Nebula
rect 461 301 494 339 Orion Nebula
rect 691 154 739 182 Soul Nebula
rect 568 371 625 405 North America Nebula
rect 643 366 687 402 Cocoon Nebula
rect 688 392 761 429 Gamma Cygni Nebula
rect 594 404 625 444 Veil Nebula
rect 513 541 550 578 Trifid Nebula
poly 676 435 690 435 692 427 723 429 726 461 677 461 Crescent Nebula
rect 489 597 543 630 Lagoon Nebula
rect 555 592 595 626 Omega Nebula
rect 574 646 614 689 Eagle Nebula
rect 444 633 500 678 Cat's Paw Nebula
rect 90 502 161 529 Eta Carinae Nebula
rect 442 37 491 69 Crab Nebula
rect 517 158 547 175 Messier 37
rect 527 172 559 190 Messier 36
rect 533 191 563 208 Messier 38
rect 408 257 434 280 Messier 50
rect 327 232 357 257 Messier 46
rect 422 285 454 302 Messier 67
rect 553 321 582 338 Messier 34
rect 433 305 461 321 Messier 48
rect 409 314 435 330 Messier 41
rect 425 328 456 345 Messier 47
rect 474 343 500 365 Messier 44
rect 502 345 528 368 Messier 45
rect 542 378 568 399 Messier 37
rect 714 285 748 308 Messier 52
rect 352 285 379 308 Messier 93
rect 489 421 513 444 Messier 7
rect 495 452 518 473 Messier 6
rect 522 456 549 476 Messier 25
rect 512 478 539 500 Messier 23
rect 531 575 555 593 Messier 21
rect 556 564 589 580 Messier 18
rect 605 598 640 617 Messier 26
rect 630 618 654 639 Messier 11
rect 484 234 510 256 Messier 35
rect 287 248 316 276 NGC 2362
rect 370 359 411 381 IC 2395
rect 359 413 390 449 NGC 3114
rect 407 396 444 432 NGC 3532
rect 594 356 644 372 IC 1396
rect 458 392 502 406 IC 2602
rect 407 494 443 521 NGC 6087
rect 437 464 472 497 NGC 6025
rect 262 478 300 506 NGC 3766
rect 513 427 554 451 NGC 4665
rect 181 445 226 472 IC 2581
rect 212 506 257 526 IC 2944
rect 213 565 246 598 NGC 4755
rect 128 463 154 494 NGC 3293
rect 362 591 392 628 NGC 6067
rect 404 548 437 587 NGC 6193
rect 425 595 453 630 NGC 6231
rect 461 556 498 585 NGC 6383
rect 58 506 91 521 Tr 14
rect 77 520 108 536 Tr 16
rect 797 130 831 153 Messier 103
rect 665 408 691 434 Messier 29
rect 746 139 782 157 hPer
rect 763 117 804 132 chi Per
rect 152 485 194 500 Col 228
rect 456 377 492 393 o Vel
poly 0 0 496 0 841 130 976 221 972 421 633 224 277 129 5 111 Perseus Arm
poly 2 230 444 239 688 340 970 495 971 639 559 452 317 387 1 380 Orion Arm
poly 2 481 423 492 694 606 922 757 470 761 234 669 1 668 Sagittarius Arm
rect 879 666 965 684 Star cluster
rect 878 684 944 699 Nebula
desc bottom-left
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy some 3,500 light years across and approximately 10,000 light years in length. The Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
(and, therefore, the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
) is within the Orion–Cygnus Arm. It is also referred to as the Local Arm, the Orion Arm, the Local Spur or the Orion Spur.
The Orion–Cygnus Arm is named for its proximity to the stars in the Orion constellation. It is located between the Carina–Sagittarius Arm and the Perseus Arm
Perseus Arm
The Perseus Arm is one of two major spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. The second major arm is called Scutum–Centaurus Arm. Perseus Arm begins from the distal end of the long Milky Way....
, the latter being one of the two major arms of the Milky Way. Within the Orion–Cygnus Arm, the solar system and Earth are located close to the inner rim in the Local Bubble
Local Bubble
The Local Bubble is a cavity in the interstellar medium of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. It is at least 300 light years across and has a neutral hydrogen density of about 0.05 atoms per cubic centimetre, or approximately one tenth of the average for the ISM in the Milky Way , and half that for...
, about half-way along the Arm's length, approximately 8,000 parsec
Parsec
The parsec is a unit of length used in astronomy. It is about 3.26 light-years, or just under 31 trillion kilometres ....
s (26,000 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s) from the galactic center
Galactic Center
The Galactic Center is the rotational center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is located at a distance of 8.33±0.35 kpc from the Earth in the direction of the constellations Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpius where the Milky Way appears brightest...
.
Messier objects
The Orion arm contains a number of Messier objects:- The Butterfly ClusterButterfly ClusterThe Butterfly Cluster is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius. Its name derives from the vague resemblance of its shape to a butterfly....
(M6) - The Ptolemy ClusterPtolemy ClusterMessier 7 or M7, also designated NGC 6475 and sometimes known as the Ptolemy Cluster, is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius....
(M7) - Open Cluster M23Messier 23Messier 23 is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 20, 1764....
- Open Cluster M25Messier 25Open Cluster M25 is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and included in Charles Messier's list in 1764....
- The Dumbbell NebulaDumbbell NebulaThe Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light years....
(M27) - Open Cluster M29Messier 29Messier 29 is an open cluster in the Cygnus constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and can be seen from Earth by using binoculars....
- Open Cluster M34Messier 34Messier 34 is an open cluster in the constellation Perseus. It was probably discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. Messier described it as, "A cluster of small stars a little below the parallel of γ...
- Open Cluster M35Messier 35Messier 35 is an open cluster in the constellation Gemini. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and independently discovered by John Bevis before 1750...
- Open Cluster M39Messier 39Open Cluster M39 is an open cluster in the Cygnus constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. M39 is at a distance of about 800 light years away from Earth...
- Winnecke 4Winnecke 4Winnecke 4 is a double star in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 while he was searching for a nebula that had been reported in the area by Johann Hevelius. Not seeing any nebulae, Messier catalogued this double star instead...
(M40) - Open Cluster M41Messier 41Messier 41 is an open cluster in the Canis Major constellation. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and was perhaps known to Aristotle about 325 BC. M41 lies about four degrees almost exactly south of Sirius...
- The Orion NebulaOrion NebulaThe Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light...
(M42) - The De Mairan's NebulaMessier 43Messier 43 is an H II region in the Orion constellation. It was discovered by Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan before 1731. The De Mairan's Nebula is part of the Orion Nebula, separated from the main nebula by a lane of dust. It is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.-External...
- The Beehive ClusterBeehive ClusterThe Beehive Cluster, also known as Praesepe , M44, NGC 2632, or Cr 189, is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer. It is one of the nearest open clusters to the Solar System, and it contains a larger star population than most other nearby clusters...
(M44) - The PleiadesPleiades (star cluster)In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
(M45) - Open Cluster M46Messier 46Messier 46 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771...
- Open Cluster M47Messier 47Open Cluster M47 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771....
- Open Cluster M48Messier 48Messier 48 is an open cluster in the Hydra constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771.There is actually no cluster in the position indicated by Messier...
- Open Cluster M50Messier 50Messier 50 is an open cluster in the constellation Monoceros. It was perhaps discovered by G. D. Cassini before 1711 and independently discovered by Charles Messier in 1772. M50 is at a distance of about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. It is described as a 'heart-shaped' figure.-External...
- The Ring NebulaRing NebulaThe famously named "Ring Nebula" appears in the northern constellation of Lyra and is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm...
(M57) - Open Cluster M67Messier 67Messier 67 is an open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. M67's Trumpler class is variously given as II 2 r, II 2 m, or II 3 r. It was discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in 1779. Age estimates for the cluster range between 3.2 and 5 billion years, with the most recent estimate implying...
- M73Messier 73Messier 73 is an asterism of four stars in the constellation of Aquarius. An asterism is composed of physically unconnected stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth...
- The Little Dumbbell NebulaLittle Dumbbell NebulaThe Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, NGC 650/651, the Barbell Nebula, or the Cork Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included in Charles Messier's catalog of comet-like objects as number 76. It was first...
(M76) - Diffuse Nebula M78Messier 78The nebula Messier 78 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects that same year....
- Open Cluster M93Messier 93Messier 93 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781....
- The Owl NebulaOwl NebulaThe Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781....
(M97)
Interactive maps
Image:Orion Arm.JPG|frame|center|Orion and neighboring arms (clickable map)
rect 126 149 188 182 Rosette Nebula
Rosette Nebula
The Rosette Nebula is a large, circular H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy...
rect 285 116 327 145 Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus...
rect 243 245 284 274 Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light...
rect 299 288 345 312 Trifid Nebula
Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula is an H II region located in Sagittarius. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'...
rect 343 304 384 333 Lagoon Nebula
Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as an H II region....
rect 393 322 434 353 Omega Nebula
Omega Nebula
The Omega Nebula, also known as the Swan Nebula, Checkmark Nebula, Lobster Nebula, and the Horseshoe Nebula is an H II region in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745. Charles Messier catalogued it in 1764...
rect 445 322 494 353 Eagle Nebula
Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745-46. Its name derives from its shape which is resemblant of an eagle...
rect 424 244 483 280 North America Nebula
North America Nebula
The North America Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb . The remarkable shape of the emission nebula resembles that of the continent of North America, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico...
rect 293 248 319 266 Rigel
Rigel
Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky, with visual magnitude 0.18...
rect 225 179 299 246 Orion's Belt
Orion's Belt
The term Orion's Belt or the Belt of Orion may refer to:* Orion's Belt, an asterism consisting of three bright stars in a row in the constellation Orion* Orion's Belt, a 1985 film* Orion's Belt, a browser game...
rect 331 211 368 234 Polaris
Polaris
Polaris |Alpha]] Ursae Minoris, commonly North Star or Pole Star, also Lodestar) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star....
rect 318 236 353 259 Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
poly 302 176 303 241 315 242 361 177 Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Orionis , is the eighth brightest star in the night sky and second brightest star in the constellation of Orion, outshining its neighbour Rigel only rarely...
rect 419 222 458 245 Deneb
Deneb
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle. It is the 19th brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25. A blue-white supergiant, Deneb is also one of the most luminous nearby stars...
poly 0 123 508 118 637 160 637 217 470 163 0 178 Perseus arm
Perseus Arm
The Perseus Arm is one of two major spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. The second major arm is called Scutum–Centaurus Arm. Perseus Arm begins from the distal end of the long Milky Way....
poly 2 202 460 201 633 261 637 326 408 260 1 258 Orion arm
Orion Arm
The Orion–Cygnus Arm is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy some 3,500 light years across and approximately 10,000 light years in length. The Solar System is within the Orion–Cygnus Arm...
poly 1 284 397 293 633 360 637 477 541 475 357 413 0 400 Sagittarius Arm
Sagittarius Arm
The Carina–Sagittarius Arm is generally thought to be a minor spiral arm of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Each spiral arm is a long, diffuse curving streamer of stars that radiates out from the galactic center...
desc bottom-left
Image:Nearest_Nebulae_and_Star_clusters.gif|thumb|800px|center|The nearest nebulae and star clusters (clickable map)
rect 396 142 447 173 Rosette Nebula
Rosette Nebula
The Rosette Nebula is a large, circular H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy...
rect 376 230 426 258 Seagull Nebula
rect 463 264 501 292 Cone Nebula
Cone Nebula
The Cone Nebula is an H II region in the constellation of Monoceros. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 26, 1785, at which time he designated it H V.27. The nebula is located about 800 parsecs or 2,600 light-years away from Earth. The Cone Nebula forms part of the nebulosity...
rect 528 284 576 322 California Nebula
California Nebula
The California Nebula is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of the US State of California on long exposure photographs. It is almost 2.5° long on the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely...
rect 695 117 741 149 Heart Nebula
Heart Nebula
The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, Sh2-190, lies some 7500 light years away from Earth and is located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. This is an emission nebula showing glowing gas and darker dust lanes...
rect 461 301 494 339 Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light...
rect 691 154 739 182 Soul Nebula
Soul Nebula
Soul Nebula is emission nebulae in Cassiopeia. Several small open clusters are embedded in the nebula: CR 34, 632, and 634 and IC1848...
rect 568 371 625 405 North America Nebula
North America Nebula
The North America Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb . The remarkable shape of the emission nebula resembles that of the continent of North America, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico...
rect 643 366 687 402 Cocoon Nebula
rect 688 392 761 429 Gamma Cygni Nebula
rect 594 404 625 444 Veil Nebula
Veil Nebula
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus. It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop , a large but relatively faint supernova remnant...
rect 513 541 550 578 Trifid Nebula
Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula is an H II region located in Sagittarius. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'...
poly 676 435 690 435 692 427 723 429 726 461 677 461 Crescent Nebula
Crescent Nebula
The Crescent Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light years away. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 400,000 years ago...
rect 489 597 543 630 Lagoon Nebula
Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as an H II region....
rect 555 592 595 626 Omega Nebula
Omega Nebula
The Omega Nebula, also known as the Swan Nebula, Checkmark Nebula, Lobster Nebula, and the Horseshoe Nebula is an H II region in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745. Charles Messier catalogued it in 1764...
rect 574 646 614 689 Eagle Nebula
Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745-46. Its name derives from its shape which is resemblant of an eagle...
rect 444 633 500 678 Cat's Paw Nebula
rect 90 502 161 529 Eta Carinae Nebula
Eta Carinae Nebula
The Carina Nebula is a large bright nebula that surrounds several open clusters of stars. Eta Carinae and HD 93129A, two of the most massive and luminous stars in our Milky Way galaxy, are among them. The nebula lies at an estimated distance between 6,500 and 10,000 light years from Earth...
rect 442 37 491 69 Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus...
rect 517 158 547 175 Messier 37
Messier 37
Messier 37 is the richest open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by Hodierna before 1654....
rect 527 172 559 190 Messier 36
Messier 36
Open Cluster M36 is an open cluster in the Auriga constellation. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654. M36 is at a distance of about 4,100 light years away from Earth and is about 14 light years across. There are at least sixty members in the cluster...
rect 533 191 563 208 Messier 38
Messier 38
Messier 38 is an open cluster in the Auriga constellation.It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently found by Le Gentil in 1749...
rect 408 257 434 280 Messier 50
Messier 50
Messier 50 is an open cluster in the constellation Monoceros. It was perhaps discovered by G. D. Cassini before 1711 and independently discovered by Charles Messier in 1772. M50 is at a distance of about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. It is described as a 'heart-shaped' figure.-External...
rect 327 232 357 257 Messier 46
Messier 46
Messier 46 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771...
rect 422 285 454 302 Messier 67
Messier 67
Messier 67 is an open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. M67's Trumpler class is variously given as II 2 r, II 2 m, or II 3 r. It was discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in 1779. Age estimates for the cluster range between 3.2 and 5 billion years, with the most recent estimate implying...
rect 553 321 582 338 Messier 34
Messier 34
Messier 34 is an open cluster in the constellation Perseus. It was probably discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. Messier described it as, "A cluster of small stars a little below the parallel of γ...
rect 433 305 461 321 Messier 48
Messier 48
Messier 48 is an open cluster in the Hydra constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771.There is actually no cluster in the position indicated by Messier...
rect 409 314 435 330 Messier 41
Messier 41
Messier 41 is an open cluster in the Canis Major constellation. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and was perhaps known to Aristotle about 325 BC. M41 lies about four degrees almost exactly south of Sirius...
rect 425 328 456 345 Messier 47
Messier 47
Open Cluster M47 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771....
rect 474 343 500 365 Messier 44
rect 502 345 528 368 Messier 45
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
rect 542 378 568 399 Messier 37
Messier 37
Messier 37 is the richest open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by Hodierna before 1654....
rect 714 285 748 308 Messier 52
Messier 52
Messier 52 is an open cluster in the Cassiopeia constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774. M52 can be seen from Earth with binoculars....
rect 352 285 379 308 Messier 93
Messier 93
Messier 93 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781....
rect 489 421 513 444 Messier 7
rect 495 452 518 473 Messier 6
rect 522 456 549 476 Messier 25
Messier 25
Open Cluster M25 is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and included in Charles Messier's list in 1764....
rect 512 478 539 500 Messier 23
Messier 23
Messier 23 is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 20, 1764....
rect 531 575 555 593 Messier 21
Messier 21
Messier 21 or M21 is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Sagittarius. It was discovered and catalogued by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764....
rect 556 564 589 580 Messier 18
Messier 18
Messier 18 or M18 is an open cluster of stars in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 and included in his list of comet-like objects. From the perspective of Earth, M18 is situated between the Omega Nebula and the Sagittarius Star Cloud . Its age is...
rect 605 598 640 617 Messier 26
Messier 26
Open Cluster M26 is an open cluster in the constellation Scutum. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764....
rect 630 618 654 639 Messier 11
rect 484 234 510 256 Messier 35
Messier 35
Messier 35 is an open cluster in the constellation Gemini. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and independently discovered by John Bevis before 1750...
rect 287 248 316 276 NGC 2362
NGC 2362
NGC 2362 is an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654. Its brightest star is Tau Canis Majoris, and therefore it is sometimes called the Tau Canis Majoris Cluster. NGC 2362 has a distance of 1.48 kpc and is a relatively young 4–5...
rect 370 359 411 381 IC 2395
rect 359 413 390 449 NGC 3114
rect 407 396 444 432 NGC 3532
NGC 3532
NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster, is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It got the name because through a telescope's eyepiece it appears like dozens of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well....
rect 594 356 644 372 IC 1396
rect 458 392 502 406 IC 2602
IC 2602
IC 2602 is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751 from South Africa. The cluster is at a distance of about 479 light-years away from Earth and can be seen with the naked eye...
rect 407 494 443 521 NGC 6087
NGC 6087
NGC 6087 is one of the brightest open clusters in the constellation Norma with a magnitude of 5.4. It is approximately 3500 light-years away and contains about 40 stars of the seventh to the eleventh magnitude, the brightest being 6.5 magnitude S Normae....
rect 437 464 472 497 NGC 6025
NGC 6025
NGC 6025 is an open cluster located 2,700 light years away in the Triangulum Australe constellation. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751 or 1752 during his South Africa tour.-External links:**-References:...
rect 262 478 300 506 NGC 3766
NGC 3766
NGC 3766, the Pearl Cluster, is an open star cluster in the constellation Centaurus, visible in the Southern hemisphere. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751-1752.-External links:* * *...
rect 513 427 554 451 NGC 4665
rect 181 445 226 472 IC 2581
rect 212 506 257 526 IC 2944
IC 2944
IC 2944, also known as the Running Chicken Nebula or the Lambda Cen Nebula, is an open cluster with an associated emission nebula found in the constellation Centaurus, near the star Lambda Centauri...
rect 213 565 246 598 NGC 4755
rect 128 463 154 494 NGC 3293
NGC 3293
NGC 3293 is an open cluster in the Carina constellation. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751-52.It consists of more than 50 stars in a 10 arc minutes field, the brightest of which is a red giant of mag 6.5.-External links:* * at NightSkyInfo.com...
rect 362 591 392 628 NGC 6067
NGC 6067
NGC 6067 is an open cluster of stars in the constellation Norma. It is located to the north of Kappa Normae, with an angular diameter of 12′. The cluster can be observed with binoculars or a small telescope, while a 12-inch aperture telescope will reveal about 250 stars....
rect 404 548 437 587 NGC 6193
NGC 6193
NGC 6193 is open cluster containing 27 stars in the constellation Ara, visible to the unaided eye. The cluster is associated with a nearby nebulosity, NGC 6188.-List of stars in cluster:-References:* * * * * * *...
rect 425 595 453 630 NGC 6231
NGC 6231
NGC 6231 is an open cluster located near Zeta Scorpii. Zeta1 is a member of this star cluster....
rect 461 556 498 585 NGC 6383
rect 58 506 91 521 Tr 14
rect 77 520 108 536 Tr 16
rect 797 130 831 153 Messier 103
Messier 103
Messier 103 is an open cluster where a few thousand stars formed in the constellation Cassiopeia. This open cluster was discovered in 1781 by Charles Messier’s friend and collaborator Pierre Méchain. It is one of the most distant open clusters, with distances of 8,000 to 9,500 light years from the...
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Messier 29
Messier 29 is an open cluster in the Cygnus constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and can be seen from Earth by using binoculars....
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Perseus Arm
The Perseus Arm is one of two major spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. The second major arm is called Scutum–Centaurus Arm. Perseus Arm begins from the distal end of the long Milky Way....
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Orion Arm
The Orion–Cygnus Arm is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy some 3,500 light years across and approximately 10,000 light years in length. The Solar System is within the Orion–Cygnus Arm...
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Sagittarius Arm
The Carina–Sagittarius Arm is generally thought to be a minor spiral arm of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Each spiral arm is a long, diffuse curving streamer of stars that radiates out from the galactic center...
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Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
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Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
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See also
- Gould BeltGould BeltThe Gould Belt is a partial ring of stars in the Milky Way galaxy, about 3000 light years across, tilted toward the galactic plane by about 16 to 20 degrees. It contains many spectral class O- and B-type stars, and may represent the local spiral arm to which the Sun belongs—currently the Sun is...
- Local BubbleLocal BubbleThe Local Bubble is a cavity in the interstellar medium of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. It is at least 300 light years across and has a neutral hydrogen density of about 0.05 atoms per cubic centimetre, or approximately one tenth of the average for the ISM in the Milky Way , and half that for...
- Loop I BubbleLoop I BubbleThe Loop I Bubble is a cavity in the interstellar medium of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. From our Sun's point of view, it is situated towards the Galactic Center of the Milky Way galaxy. Two conspicuous tunnels connect the Local Bubble with the Loop I cavity .The Loop I Bubble is located...
- List of Messier objects
- List of nearest stars