Young Stars of Open Cluster Trumpler 14 in Carina | Hubble

Young Stars of Open Cluster Trumpler 14 in Carina | Hubble

Image Processor Judy Schmidt: "This is a very young star cluster located within the Carina Nebula. These are newly formed stars and we are peering at them through a reddening nebula of dust and gas. The longpass near-infrared filter cuts through much of the nebula and reveals many apparently dimmer stars as reddish pinpricks of light. I have adjusted the colors so that the brighter, whiter stars and their surroundings appear bluer because this is a young cluster. In reality, they are at least a little reddened. There is an interesting arc of cloud at the bottom edge of the frame. "

Distance from Earth:  9,000 light-years

Trumpler 14 (Tr 14) is an open cluster with a diameter of six light-years located within the inner regions of the Carina Nebula. About 2,000 stars have been identified in Trumpler 14. It is one of the youngest known star clusters, estimates range from 300 to 500 thousand years old. For comparison, the massive super star cluster R136 is about 1 to 2 million years old, and the famous Pleiades is about 115 million years old.

Due to its location within the inner parts of the Carina Nebula, Trumpler 14 is currently undergoing massive star formation.

Credit: NASA & European Space Agency
Image Processing: Judy Schmidt
Release Date: September 1, 2014

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