HD 97950
| HD 97950 | |
|---|---|
HST image of the HD 97950 cluster | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 11h 15m 07.346s |
| Declination | −61° 15′ 38.52″ |
| Distance | 25 kly (7.6 kpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.03 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | 19,000 M☉ |
| Radius | 120" |
| Main cluster in NGC 3603 | |
| Other designations | HD 97950, NGC 3603YC, CD-60°3452, CPD-60° 2732, HIP 54948, MR 38, WR 43 |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Carina |
HD 97950, is the central core of a super star cluster within the NGC 3603 H II region (similar to R136 within the Tarantula Nebula). It was catalogued as a single star, but has now been resolved into one of the densest clusterings of stars in the galaxy.
Only the six lettered stars A-F at the core of the cluster are typically referred to as components of HD 97950, while the remaining stars of the cluster and surrounding area are usually numbered as members of NGC 3603. The cluster itself is still called the HD 97950 cluster as well as the NGC 3603 young cluster (NGC 3603YC). There are no other notable groupings of stars in NGC 3603 and the HD 97950 cluster is often loosely referred to as simply NGC 3603.