Caroline's Rose Cluster

Discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783 and named in her honour, NGC 7789 in Cassiopeia is one of the richest and oldest open clusters in the Milky Way — containing around 1,000 stars at a distance of 7,600 light-years. At roughly 1.6 billion years old, most of its massive stars have long since evolved into red giants, which give the cluster its characteristically warm-toned appearance. The interlocking loops of stars and dark lanes between them suggest a rose in bloom.