Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Celestial Objects

Messier 38

Star Clusters

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Messier 38, also known as M38 or NGC 1912, is an open cluster of stars in the constellation Auriga, discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654 and added to Charles Messier's catalogue in 1764. Its brighter stars form a pattern some observers have described as resembling the Greek letter pi or an oblique cross, and it lies about 4,200 light-years from Earth, roughly two and a half degrees northwest of the cluster Messier 36.

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