Explanation:
For the mostly harmless denizens of planet Earth, the
brighter stars of open cluster
NGC 2169
seem to form a cosmic
37.
Did you expect
42?
From our perspective,
the improbable numerical
asterism
appears solely by chance.
It lies at an estimated distance of 3,300 light-years toward the
constellation Orion.
As far as galactic or open star clusters go,
NGC 2169 is a small one, spanning about 7 light-years.
Formed at the same time from the same cloud of dust and gas,
the stars of
NGC 2169 are only about 11 million years old.
Such clusters
are expected to disperse over time as they
encounter other stars, interstellar clouds, and
experience gravitational tides while hitchhiking
through
the galaxy.
Over four billion years ago, our own Sun was likely formed
in a similar
open cluster of stars.
Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240514.html
