cluster · NGC 7789
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.