A bright red star cluster famous for having the highest concentration of massive stars was captured in a stunning image.
At the center of the star cluster, dubbed NGC 3603, has a Wolf-Rayet multiple star system in its center, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) reported. Wolf-Rayet stars are at an advanced stage of stellar evolution. The stars begin with about 20 times the mass of our Sun, but much of this is sheared away by solar winds.
NGC 3603 is located in a region of extremely active star formation. Stars are born in the dark, but as they grow they clear away surrounding material and begin to shine brightly. These stars create glowing clouds called HII regions, which shine as a result of the interaction of ultraviolet radiation emitted by these young stars with hydrogen gas clouds. HII regions can be as large as several-hundred light-years in diameter, and the one surrounding NGC 3603 is believed to be the most massive in our galaxy.
The cluster was first spotted by John Herschel on March 14, 1834; at first he thought it was a globular star cluster. New research has shown NGC 3603 is not a globular star cluster, but rather one of the richest young open clusters ever observed.
NGC 3576, located on the right of the image, also lies in the Carina-Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way; this is 9,000 light-years away from Earth which is much closer than NGC 3603. NGC 3576 is known for two huge curved objects that resemble the horns of a ram. These strange objects are created by stellar wind from the hot, young stars within the center of the nebula.
Also visible are two dark silhouetted areas called Bok globules; they are located near the top of the nebula and are potential sites for future star formations.
