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AsteriaStar
Open cluster · Crux

Herschel's Jewel Box

Deep skyC 94NGC 4755

Scientific overview

Herschel's Jewel Box is an open cluster in the constellation Crux. It spans about 7.8 arcminutes of sky.

Location in the sky

Constellation
Crux
RA / Dec
12.8936h / -60.3563°
Hemisphere
Southern
Season
Spring

Precision measurements

Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 4755

Distance6,497 lySIMBAD · catalogued
Physical size (major axis)14.741305 lySIMBAD · derived
Radial velocity-20 ± 0.7 km/sSIMBAD · measured
Right ascension (ICRS)193.415 degSIMBAD · measured
Declination (ICRS)-60.371111 degSIMBAD · measured
Full field-level provenance
  • Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2021A&A...651A.104P · distance indicator: paral · catalogued value · source value 1992 pc · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2017A&A...600A.106C · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11

Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.

ObjectTypeMagSize (′)
Coalsack ClusterC 98 · NGC 4609Open cluster6.95.4
NGC 4103NGC 4103Open cluster7.47.8
NGC 4349NGC 4349Open cluster7.46.3
NGC 4439NGC 4439Open cluster8.44.5
NGC 4052NGC 4052Open cluster8.85.1
NGC 4337NGC 4337Open cluster8.96.6

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data

    Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.