RCW 49
H II region in the constellation Carina
title: "RCW 49" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["carina-(constellation)", "h-ii-regions", "star-forming-regions"] description: "H II region in the constellation Carina" topic_path: "general/carina-constellation" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCW_49" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary H II region in the constellation Carina ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox nebula"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Rcw49 spitzer c1.jpg |
| caption | RCW 49 by the Spitzer Space Telescope |
| credit | NASA |
| name | RCW 49 |
| type | H II region |
| epoch | J2000.0 |
| ra | |
| dec | |
| dist_ly | 13,700 |
| constellation | Carina |
| radius_ly | 150-200 |
| names | RCW 49, GUM 29, NGC 3247 |
| :: |
| image = Rcw49 spitzer c1.jpg
| caption=RCW 49 by the Spitzer Space Telescope
| credit= NASA
| name = RCW 49
| type = H II region
| epoch = J2000.0
| ra =
| dec =
| dist_ly = 13,700
| appmag_v =
| size_v =
| constellation = Carina
| radius_ly = 150-200
| absmag_v =
| notes =
| names = RCW 49, GUM 29, NGC 3247
RCW 49, also known as NGC 3247, is a H II region nebula located 13,700 light years away. Other designations for the RCW 49 region include NGC 3247 and G29 and it is commonly known as the Whirling Dervish Nebula. It is a dusty stellar nursery that contains more than 2,200 stars and is about 300-400 light years across. RCW 49 is recognized as among the brightest and most massive HII regions. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/IC_2581_&_NGC_3247_decaps_dr2.jpg" caption="The Gum 29 Nebula (right side), containing [[Westerlund 2]]. On the upper-left side is the star cluster [[IC 2581]]."] ::
In 2004, a 2003 image by the Spitzer Space Telescope was released showing the nebula in infrared wavelengths. This included an image showing the infrared colors mapped to visible light colors: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red). It was noted as being almost 14 thousand light years from Earth, and the infrared camera could detect the stars obscured by dust clouds. It was estimated at least 200 of the stars in the nebula have dust disks.
The results of observations of the Spitzer Telescope, including the IRAC camera, have been studied leading to the conclusion that the region is a star-forming region. In 2014, RCW 49 was identified as a bow shock candidate, along with M17 in a study of Extended Red Objects (ERO's) and Stellar Wind Bow Shocks in the Carina nebula.
References
References
- SIMBAD, [https://archive.today/20121212165530/http://simbak.cfa.harvard.edu/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=RCW+49&submit=SIMBAD+search RCW 49] (accessed 4 April 2012)
- Lang, Kenneth R.. (2012-12-06). "Astrophysical Data: Planets and Stars". Springer Science & Business Media.
- (11 December 2012). "Imaging the Southern Sky". Springer.
- (2006). "A novel type of source? Gamma rays from the vicinity of the Wolf-Rayet binary WR 20a".
- (2004). "A GLIMPSE of Star Formation in the Giant H ii Region RCW 49". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.
- (2004-06-14). "An "Impossibly" Young Planet?".
- (2015-01-01). "Extended Red Objects and Stellar Wind Bow Shocks in the Carina Nebula". 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. ::