List of largest star clusters

Below is a list of the largest known star clusters, ordered by diameter in light years, above the size of 50 light years in diameter. This list includes globular clusters, open clusters, super star clusters, and other types.

Omega Centauri, one of the largest star clusters.

List

List of largest known star clusters
Cluster nameDiameter (light-years)Type of clusterNotes
Terzan 7316[1]Globular cluster
Messier 54306[2]
NGC 339238[3]
Messier 3226[4]
Messier 11 (Wild Duck Cluster)190[5]Open cluster
Messier 2174.4[6]Globular cluster
Omega Centauri172 ± 12[7]Largest globular cluster in the Milky Way.[8]
Messier 13168[9]
Messier 15166[10]
Palomar 5152[11]
Messier 75126[12]
47 Tucanae120[13]
Messier 68106[14]
Messier 22100 ± 10[15]One of the first star clusters ever discovered.[16]
Messier 14100[15]
Messier 6298[17]
Messier 5596[18]
NGC 26594[19]Open cluster
Messier 6990[20]Globular cluster
Messier 990[21]
Messier 5684[22]
Messier 1083.2[23]
NGC 320180[24]
Messier 10779[25]
Messier 4675.6[26]Open cluster
Messier 475[27]Globular clusterNearest globular cluster to the Earth. Also the first globular cluster known to have exoplanets (PSR B1620-26b)
Messier 1274.4[28]
Messier 7068[29]
NGC 29066[30]Open cluster
Messier 2860[31]Globular cluster
Messier 1852.4[32]Open cluster
The following notable star clusters are listed for the purpose of comparison.
MGC149 (half-light), 7,800 (tidal)[33]Globular cluster
Mayall II42±1 (half-light), 526±25.4 (tidal)[34]
Pleiades40.68[35]Open clusterNearest Messier Object to Earth and the easiest to see in the night sky.
RSGC2 (Stephenson 2)26.1[36]
Alpha Persei cluster22.8[37]
Jewel Box20[38]
Hyades17.6[39]Nearest open cluster
Beehive Cluster (Praesepe)15[40]
RSGC19.78 ± 1.96[41]
Westerlund 1 (Ara Cluster)6.52[42]Super Star Cluster/Open cluster

See also

References