Title:[0239] A young open cluster in Carina, NGC 3293 Caption:Unlike the Sun, many stars are found in rich clusters such as NGC 3293 where they spend their lives. At the time of their formation, the brightest stars in the cluster were hot, and therefore blue, but such stars quickly deplete their supplies of nuclear fuel. This evolutionary process involves cooling, so that the stars become redder, but paradoxically they also brighten because they swell to an enormous size. The bright orange star in NGC 3293 is the member of the group that has aged fastest and is likely to be the next supernova in the cluster, which is in the constellation of Carina at a distance of about 8,500 light years. Copyright:(c) 1977 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin Credit:D. F. Malin

Title:[1039] Double star clusters h and chi Persei Caption:Double star clusters, h and chi Persei, in the constellation Perseus, with O and B spectral-type stars indicating the youth of the 6200-light year distant clusters. Wide angle photo by the Burrell-Schmidt telescope of Case Western Reserve University and Kitt Peak. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[0233] Dust cloud and open cluster NGC 6520 Caption:The brightest parts of the Milky Way are made of old, yellowish stars. We see these stars as huge glowing clouds in the direction of Sagittarius and a powerful telescope like the AAT is needed to see them as individuals. Superimposed on this distant background is a small cluster of young blue stars, NGC 6520. In the same region and possibly associated with the cluster is a dark cloud, Barnard 86, visible only because it blocks out light from the myriads of stars beyond. Copyright:(c) 1980 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin Credit:D. F. Malin

Title:[1040] Jewel Box open star cluster Caption:The "Jewel Box" open star cluster, NGC 4755, displays its colors in this Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 91-centimeter telescope photo. Located in the constellation Crux, the cluster was described as a "superb piece of jewellery" in an early astronomical catalogue; hence the popular name. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[1110] Open star cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia Caption:This cluster NGC 457 is composed of relatively young stars about 10 million years in age. NGC 457 is 9,300 light years from Earth and has a 30 light year diameter. Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1-meter telescope photograph. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[0105] The Jewel Box cluster in Crux, NGC 4755 Caption:This famous cluster of young bright stars is an open cluster visible to the unaided eye alongside Mimosa, the second brightest star in the Southern Cross. Sir John Herschel described this rich cluster as "a casket of variously colored precious stones" as he observed it from Cape Town in the 1830s. The bright orange star is Kappa Crucis, a very large, (hence very luminous) quite young star in its red giant stage, which paradoxically indicates that its life is drawing to a close. The cluster lies 7800 light years away in the direction of the Southern Cross and is only visible from southern latitudes. Copyright:(c) 1977 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin Credit:D. F. Malin

Title:[0265] The Rosette Nebula and open cluster NGC 2244 Caption:The Rosette Nebula exhibits a striking circular symmetry which gives it the appearance of a partly-opened rose, an impression enhanced further by the rich red hues seen in this color photograph. Near the center of the nebula is a cluster of blue stars catalogued as NGC 2244. These stars are responsible for making the nebula visible and for creating the hollowed-out central cavity. This cluster of stars formed from the gas that now surrounds it less than a million years ago, and is thus very young by astronomical standards. The gas and dust at the center of the nebula have been forced away from the bright stars by radiation pressure and the intense stellar wind often associated with very hot stars, forming a hollow centered on the cluster. Copyright:(c) 1983 Royal Observatory Edinburgh Credit:D. F. Malin

Title:[0272] The Reflection Nebula in the Pleiades Cluster Caption: Copyright:(c) 1985 Royal Observatory Edinburgh Credit:D. F. Malin

Title:[1109] Open star cluster in the constellation Cancer Caption:M67, NGC 2682, open star cluster in the constellation Cancer. One of the oldest known clusters, M67 is believed to be 10 billion years old. It contains approximately 500 stars within its 12 light year diameter and is located 2,500 light years away. Kitt Peak National Observatory 4-meter Mayall telescope photograph. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories