NGC 3293 Open star cluster

NGC 3293 (also known as RCW 51, Gum 30, and Cr 224) is an open star cluster located at a distance of 8,400 light-years in the constellation of Carina. It was discovered in 1751 by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille.

NGC 3293 consists of more than 100 bright stars, including the pulsating red supergiant V 361 Carinae. It is associated with NGC 3324, another open star cluster. Both clusters are relatively young, having an age of 12 million years.

Image: Composite image of NGC 3293. It was created using X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (purple), optical data from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, Chile (red, green, and blue), infrared data from Spitzer Space Telescope (blue and white), and far infrared data from Herschel Space Observatory (red). Due to its appearance, it is nicknamed the Gem Cluster.

Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./K. Getman et al.; Infrared: ESA/NASA JPL-Caltech/Herschel Space Observatory/JPL/IPAC; NASA JPL-Caltech/SSC/Spitzer Space Telescope; Optical: MPG/ESO/G. Beccari;