The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope

The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope

The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.

This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.

Distance: 1,300 light years

Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: ESO/G. Beccari

Release Date: Nov. 26, 2014

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3532 #Caldwell91 #Carina #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education