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Credit & Copyright: John Chumack
Explanation:
Is this coat hanger a star cluster or an asterism?
This
cosmic hang-up has been debated over much of last century,
as astronomers wondered whether
this binocular-visible object
is
really a physically associated
open cluster or a
chance projection.
Chance star projections are known as
asterisms, an example of which is the popular
Big Dipper.
Recent precise measurements from different vantage points in the Earth's orbit around the Sun
have uncovered discrepant angular shifts indicating that the
Coat Hanger
is better described as an
asterism.
Known more formally as
Collinder 399,
this bright stellar grouping is wider than the
full moon and lies in the
constellation of the
Fox
(Vulpecula).
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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: asterism - open cluster
Publications with words: asterism - open cluster
See also:
- APOD: 2025 April 28 B Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles
- Open Star Clusters M35 and NGC 2158
- APOD: 2025 February 25 B M41: The Little Beehive Star Cluster
- APOD: 2025 February 11 B The Spider and the Fly
- APOD: 2024 October 29 B NGC 602: Stars Versus Pillars from Webb
- NGC 7789: Caroline s Rose
- APOD: 2024 July 2 B NGC 602: Oyster Star Cluster