Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  M 67  ·  NGC 2682
M67, Miguel Garcia
M67
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M67

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Description

Messier 67 (also known as M67 or NGC 2682) is an open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. Age estimates for the cluster range between 3.2 and 5 billion years. M67 is an important laboratory for studying stellar evolution, since the cluster is well populated, obscured by negligible amounts of soot, and all its stars are at the same distance and age, except for approximately 30 anomalous blue stragglers, whose origins are not fully understood.

M67 is the nearest old open cluster, and thus has become a standard example for studying stellar evolution. M67 has more than 100 stars similar to the Sun, and countless red giants. The total star count has been estimated at well over 500.The ages and prevalence of Sun-like stars contained within the cluster had led astronomers to consider M67 as the possible parent cluster of our own Sun. However, computer simulations have suggested that this is highly unlikely to be the case.

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M67, Miguel Garcia