NGC 3293

Capture

Seestar s50 255 stacks

Date

12 July 2026

Location

Camden, NSW

Original

2160 × 3840 px

NGC 3293, also known as the "Diamonds and Rubies" cluster, it is a brilliant, young open star cluster located roughly 8,000 to 8,400 light-years away in the constellation Carina. It consists of more than 100 stars brighter than 14th magnitude, the brightest of which are blue supergiants of apparent magnitude 6.5 and 6.7. There is also a 7th magnitude pulsating red supergiant near it's centre, V361 Carinae. At only about 6 to 12 million years old, it is a very young cluster, and has a mass of 1,457 solar masses. Through 7×50 or 10×50 binoculars, it appears as a small, bright, misty knot of starlight set against the rich star fields of Carina. Several bright stars can be resolved, while the cluster's many fainter members blend together into a soft, luminous glow, giving it the appearance of a tiny splash of diamond dust. The red colour of the supergiant is usually not obvious. Apparent magnitude 4.7.

See it in the star clusters gallery