Trumpler 16
| Trumpler 16 | |
|---|---|
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The inner region of the Carina Nebula as seen in near-infrared. Trumpler 16 is the cluster of stars at the left, around Eta Carinae (the brightest star in the image).
Credit: European Southern Observatory |
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| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Carina |
| Right ascension | 10h 49m 10s[1] |
| Declination | −59° 43.0′[1] |
| Distance | 7,500 light-years (2,300 parsecs[2]) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Other designations | C 1043-594 |
Trumpler 16 is a massive open cluster that is home to some of the most luminous stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is situated within the Carina Nebula (Caldwell 92) complex in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm, located approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth. The cluster has one naked eye member star, Eta Carinae.
Its most luminous members are Eta Carinae and WR 25, with both having luminosities several million times that of the Sun, and there are six other extreme stars with O3 spectral classes.[2] Both η Carinae and WR 25 are binaries, with the primary stars contributing most of the luminosity, but with companions which are themselves more massive and luminous than most stars. Across all wavelengths, WR 25 is estimated to be the more luminous of the two, 6,300,000 times the Sun's luminosity (absolute bolometric magnitude -12.25) compared to Eta Carinae at 5,000,000 times the Sun's luminosity (absolute bolometric magnitude -12.0). However in the image on the right Eta Carinae appears by far the brightest object, both because it is brighter in visual wavelengths and because it is embedded in nebulosity which is exaggerated in this type of image. WR 25 is very hot and emits most of its radiation as ultraviolet. It can be seen in the image below and to the right of Eta Carinae, just beyond the edge of the brightest nebulosity and to the right of an orange foreground star.
Trumpler 16 and Trumpler 14 are the most prominent star clusters in Carina OB1, a giant stellar association in the Carina spiral arm. Another cluster within Carina OB1, Collinder 228, is thought to be an extension of Trumpler 16 appearing visually separated only because of an intervening dust lane. The spectral types of the stars indicate that Trumpler 16 formed by a single wave of star formation. Because of the extreme luminosity of the stars formed, their stellar winds push away the clouds of dust, similar to the Pleiades. In a few million years, after the brightest stars have exploded as supernovae, the cluster will slowly die away. Trumpler 16 includes most of the stars in the left (east) half of the nebulosity in this image. Trumpler 14 is younger and more compact, visible just right (west) of the centre of this frame.[3]
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Further reading
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