Westerlund 2

Constellation: Carina

Westerlund 2 is a compact young star cluster in the constellation Carina. Its age is estimated around one or two million years. It contains some of the hottest, brightest, and most massive stars known. The cluster is located inside Gum 29, which is about 20’000 Ly away. Link to interactive sky chart.

Dates:

This is derived from the outstanding data taken by Martin Pugh in June 2025 (Martin’s website: Remote Astrophotography with Martin Pugh (martinpughastrophotography.space).

His telescope is located in Chile (Observatory: El Sauce).

Colour palette is HSO.

Telescope & Mount:

Planewave CDK24 on a Planewave L600 mount.

Imaging:

Camera: Moravian C1-61000 (bin 2×2)

Data:
Nebula:
Astrodon Ha: 31x600s
Astrodon O3: 16x600s
Astrodon S2: 24x600s

Stars:
Astrodon R: 12x180s
Astrodon G: 12x180s
Astrodon B: 12x180s

Total integration time: 13h 38′