NGC 3324
Open cluster in the constellation Carina
title: "NGC 3324" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["carina-(constellation)", "ngc-objects", "ic-objects", "open-clusters", "astronomical-objects-discovered-in-1826", "articles-containing-video-clips"] description: "Open cluster in the constellation Carina" topic_path: "general/carina-constellation" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3324" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Open cluster in the constellation Carina ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox open cluster"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | NGC 3324 |
| image | The star formation region NGC 3324.jpg |
| caption | NGC 3324 star-forming region |
| (2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla Observatory) | |
| epoch | J2000 |
| constellation | Carina |
| ra | |
| dec | |
| dist_ly | 2800 pc |
| size_v | 11 arcmin |
| radius_ly | 4.5 pc |
| age | 12 ± 3 Myr |
| mass_msol | 580 |
| names | ESO 128-EN006, Cr 225, Lund 552, h 3286, GC 2167, C 1035-583, OCl 819.0, [KPR2004b] 254, [KPS2012] MWSC 1830 |
| :: |
| name = NGC 3324 | image = The star formation region NGC 3324.jpg | caption = NGC 3324 star-forming region (2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla Observatory) | epoch = J2000 | constellation = Carina | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 2800 pc | size_v = 11 arcmin | radius_ly = 4.5 pc | age = 12 ± 3 Myr | mass_msol = 580 | notes = | names = ESO 128-EN006, Cr 225, Lund 552, h 3286, GC 2167, C 1035-583, OCl 819.0, [KPR2004b] 254, [KPS2012] MWSC 1830
NGC 3324 is an open cluster in the southern constellation of Carina, located northwest of the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) at a distance of 2800 pc from Earth. 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. NGC 3324 was first catalogued by James Dunlop in 1826.
The Hubble Space Telescope observed a western section of NGC 3324 in detail, and the same section was among 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.
Gallery
File:NGC 3324 Nebulosa Gabriela Mistral en Paleta Hubble (SHO).jpg|Astrophotography of NGC 3324 nebula in narrowband technique and Hubble palette (SHO) File:Carina Nebula by Harel Boren (151851961).jpg|The Carina Nebula with NGC 3324 at top right File:NGC 3324 Hubble.jpg|Hubble Space Telescope detail of a western section of NGC 3324 (north is to the right) File:NASA’s Webb Reveals Cosmic Cliffs, Glittering Landscape of Star Birth.jpg|James Webb Space Telescope detail of the same western section, the "Cosmic Cliffs"
References
References
- "NGC 3324".
- "NGC 3324".
- (2008). "The Night Sky Observer's Guide". Willmann-Bell.
- "IC 2599".
- "Gabriela Mistral Nebula · NGC 3324".
- (1 February 2012). "A Pocket of Star Formation". European Southern Observatory.
- (2012). "Imaging the Southern Sky: An Amateur Astronomer's Guide". Springer Science+Business Media.
- (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.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::