Starfish Cluster

Pierre Moutounet-Cartan
Mar 1
1 min read

#Messier38, #NGC1912, and #PMC23

About this object

Messier 38 (M38), also known as the Starfish Cluster, is a captivating open cluster located in the constellation Auriga, making it a delightful target for amateur astronomers. Discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and later independently found by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749, M38 is often grouped with its neighboring clusters, M36 and M37, for a stunning triple treat in the night sky. Located approximately 3,480 light-years from Earth, M38 spans about 20 arcminutes, corresponding to a physical diameter of roughly 13 light-years. This intermediate-age cluster, estimated to be around 290 million years old, contains about 100 stars, with its brightest member being a luminous yellow giant of spectral type G0, shining at an apparent magnitude of +7.9 and boasting a luminosity 900 times that of our Sun. Interestingly, M38’s stars form a pattern resembling the Greek letter Pi or an oblique cross, a feature that stands out particularly well in smaller telescopes.