The Omicron Velorum Cluster is a bright young open cluster in Vela, a tight knot of blue-white stars around Omicron Velorum, visible to the naked eye.
At a glance
| type | open star cluster |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 490 light-years (150 pc) |
| its light left it | 490 years ago |
| size in the piece | about 12 light-years acrossmodel |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with. Model marks a property of the piece’s galaxy model rather than a measurement.
About Omicron Velorum Cluster
Seen from the southern hemisphere, this cluster is a small group of stars in Vela that the eye picks out without help. It was catalogued by Lacaille during his survey of the southern sky from the Cape of Good Hope. Its brightest member, Omicron Velorum, gives it its common name.
The cluster is young, its stars blue-white and still close together, and it is one of the nearest clusters of its kind. Its stars have a similar age and motion to those of the Southern Pleiades, which makes the pair a favourite place to study how young stars spin and how fast they lose their lithium.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and the cluster holds together as a compact group, its hot members blue-white because colour follows temperature.
Questions
How far away is the Omicron Velorum Cluster?
The Omicron Velorum Cluster is about 490 light-years (150 pc) from the Sun.
Can you see the Omicron Velorum Cluster?
Yes, from southern latitudes; it is a small naked-eye group in Vela, best in binoculars.