Map of the Universe

Westerlund 1

Open star cluster · Super star cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy

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Westerlund 1
Picture: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), M. G. Guarcello (INAF-OAPA) and the EWOCS team, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About Westerlund 1

Westerlund 1 is about 13,209 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 13,209 years ago.

It is 15,324 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

The map lists it as an open star cluster and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

The most massive young star cluster known in the Milky Way (~60,000 suns).

Key numbers

Distance13,209 light-years (4.05 kpc)
Distance from the Galactic centre15,324 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 339.60°, b = -0.40°
Sizeabout 6 light-years across

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Local Arm, a view about 12,000 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

Westerlund 1 is a compact young super star cluster about 3.8 kpc away from Earth. It is thought to be the most massive young star cluster in the Milky Way, and was discovered by Bengt Westerlund in 1961 but remained largely unstudied for many years due to high interstellar absorption in its direction.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Westerlund 1, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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