NGC 3324

NGC 3324 is an open cluster in the southern constellation Carina, located northwest of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)^[3][4] at a distance of 9,100 ly (2,800 pc) from Earth.^[2] It is closely associated with the emission nebula IC 2599, also known as Gum 31.^[5] The two are often confused as a single object, and together have been nicknamed the "Gabriela Mistral Nebula" due to its resemblance to the Chilean poet.^[6][7][8] NGC 3324 was first catalogued by James Dunlop in 1826.^[3]

NGC 3324
NGC 3324 star-forming region (2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla Observatory)
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Right ascension	10h 37m 20s[1]
Declination	−58° 38′ 30″[1]
Distance	9,100 ly (2,800 pc)[2]
Apparent dimensions (V)	11 arcmin[2]
Physical characteristics
Mass	580[2] M☉
Radius	15 ly (4.5 pc)[2]
Estimated age	12 ± 3 Myr[2]
Other designations	ESO 128-EN006, Cr 225, Lund 552, h 3286, GC 2167, C 1035-583, OCl 819.0, [KPR2004b] 254, [KPS2012] MWSC 1830
Associations
Constellation	Carina
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

The Hubble Space Telescope observed a western section of NGC 3324 in detail, and the same section was one of the first observations of the James Webb Space Telescope, for comparison.

Nearby clusters

NGC 3324 is associated with the open cluster NGC 3293. Both are fairly young, at around 12 million years old. They show some degree of mass segregation, with more massive stars concentrated near their centers. Neither are dynamically relaxed.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Astrophotography of NGC 3324 nebula in narrowband technique and Hubble palette (SHO)
• 
  The Carina Nebula with NGC 3324 at top right
• 
  Hubble Space Telescope detail of a western section of NGC 3324 (north is to the right)
• 
  James Webb Space Telescope detail of the same western section, the "Cosmic Cliffs"

References

1. "NGC 3324". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
2. Bisht, D.; Zhu, Qingfeng; Yadav, R K S.; Ganesh, Shashikiran; Rangwal, Geeta; Durgapal, Alok; Sariya, Devesh P.; Jiang, Ing-Guey (2021). "Multicolour photometry and Gaia EDR3 astrometry of two couples of binary clusters (NGC 5617 and Trumpler 22) and (NGC 3293 and NGC 3324)". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 503 (4): 5929–5947. arXiv:2103.04596. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab691.
3. "NGC 3324". The NGC/IC Project. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
4. Cooper, Ian; Kay, Jenni; Kepple, George Robert (2008). The Night Sky Observer's Guide. Volume 3: The Southern Skies. Willmann-Bell. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-943396-89-7.
5. "IC 2599". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
6. "Gabriela Mistral Nebula · NGC 3324". DSO-Browser.com. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
7. "A Pocket of Star Formation". European Southern Observatory. 1 February 2012. Photo Release eso1207. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
8. Chadwick, Stephen; Cooper, Ian (2012). Imaging the Southern Sky: An Amateur Astronomer's Guide. Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series. New York: Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 81–83. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4750-4. ISBN 978-1-4614-4749-8.

External links

• Media related to NGC 3324 at Wikimedia Commons
• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: NGC 3324 in Carina (6 April 2018)