Object Analysis

The Southern Pleiades (IC 2602) is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It is named for its resemblance to the famous Pleiades cluster (M45) in the north, though it is slightly less compact. It was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751.

The cluster is dominated by the bright blue star Theta Carinae, a magnitude 2.7 star that is easily visible to the naked eye. The cluster contains about 60 stars in total and is located approximately 479 light-years from Earth.

It is a young cluster, estimated to be about 50 million years old. Like its northern counterpart, it is a loose collection of hot B-type stars that formed together from the same molecular cloud and are now drifting through space as a family.