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NGC 346
Imaged by Martin S. Ferlito copyright
Gstar-EX Integrating Video Camera
NGC 346 is an
open cluster with associated nebula. NGC 346 is the brightest star forming
nursery in the "Small Magellanic Cloud" being
210,000 light-years from Earth and is a dwarf satellite Galaxy of our own
Milky Way. What I like about this object is that the brightness of the open
star cluster “NGC 346” which consists of many massive young stars, illuminates
the Nebula complex named N66 which is approximately 200 light years across, and
resides in the constellation Tucana. Without NGC 346 the nebulosity of N66 may
not be detected but would still however leave us with a beautiful open cluster
none the less.
