RSGC1 (''Red Supergiant Cluster 1'') is a young massive
open cluster in the
Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered in 2006 in the data generated by several infrared surveys, named for the unprecedented number of
red supergiant members.
[ The cluster is located in the constellation Scutum at the distance of about 6.6 kpc from the Sun. It is likely situated at the intersection of the northern end of the Long Bar of the Milky Way and the inner portion of the Scutum–Centaurus Arm—one of its two major spiral arms.][
The age of RSGC1 is estimated at 10–14 million years. The cluster is heavily obscured and has not been detected in visible light. It lies close to other groupings of red supergiants known as ]Stephenson 2
Stephenson 2 , also known as RSGC2 (''Red Supergiant Cluster 2''), is a young massive open cluster belonging to the Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered in 1990 as a cluster of red supergiants in a photographic, deep infrared survey by the astrono ...
, RSGC3
RSGC3 (''Red Supergiant Cluster 3'') is a young massive open cluster belonging to the Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered in 2010 in the GLIMPSE survey data. The cluster is located in the constellation Scutum at the distance of about 7 kp ...
, Alicante 7
Alicante 7, also known as RSGC5, (''Red Supergiant Cluster 5'') is an open cluster rich in red supergiants found in the Scutum-Crux Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, along with RSGC1, Stephenson 2, RSGC3, Alicante 8, and Alicante 10
Alicante 10 ...
, Alicante 8
Alicante 8, also known as RSGC4, (''Red Supergiant Cluster 4'') is a young massive open cluster belonging to the Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered in 2010 in the 2MASS survey data. As of 2010, the only members of the cluster that are currently ...
, and Alicante 10
Alicante 10, also known as RSGC6 (''Red Supergiant Cluster 6''), is a young massive open cluster belonging to the Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered in 2012 in the 2MASS survey data. Currently, eight red supergiants have been identified in thi ...
. The mass of RSGC1 is estimated at 30 thousand solar masses, which makes it one of the most massive open clusters in the Galaxy.[
The observed red supergiants with the mass of about 16–20 ]solar mass
The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...
es are type II supernova progenitors.[ Over 200 main sequence stars have been detected with masses over , which allows the distance to be determined from main sequence fitting. Fourteen red supergiant members have been identified.]
Members
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:RSGC1
Open clusters
Scutum (constellation)
Scutum–Centaurus Arm