NGC 346

NGC 346 is an open cluster with associated nebula located in the Small Magellanic Cloud that appears in the constellation Tucana. It contains HD 5980, the brightest star in the SMC.

NGC 346, the brightest star-forming region in the neighbouring Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy, some 210 000 light-years away from Earth. The light, wind and heat given off by massive stars have dispersed the glowing gas within and around this star cluster, forming a surrounding wispy nebular structure that looks like a cobweb. Credit: ESO

NGC 346
Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 346 Credit: HST/NASA/ESA
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Tucana
Right ascension	00^h 59^m 18^s[1]
Declination	−72° 10′ 48″[1]
Distance	210,000 light-years[2]
Physical characteristics
Other designations	ESO 51-10,[1] N66

References

1. "NGC 346". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
2. APOD, "Young Stars of NGC 346" Archived 2010-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, 2008 September 28 (accessed 12-12-2009)

External links

• Media related to NGC 346 at Wikimedia Commons
• ESA
• Hubble Heritage site Hubble picture and information on NGC 346
• ESO Beautiful Image of a Cosmic Sculpture
• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Young Stars of NGC 346 (28 September 2008)
• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: NGC 346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (17 October 2010)