NGC 4349 is an open cluster in the constellation Crux. It was discovered by James Dunlop in 1826. It is located approximately 7,000 light years away from Earth.
NGC 4349 | |
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Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Right ascension | 12h 24m 08s[1] |
Declination | −61° 52′ 18″[1] |
Distance | 7,090 ly (2,176 pc[2]) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 7.4 [1] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 12'[3] |
Physical characteristics | |
Mass | 4,400[4] M☉ |
Estimated age | 250 million years[3] |
Other designations | Cr 255, Mel 110 |
Associations | |
Constellation | Crux |
There are 390 probable member stars within the angular radius of the cluster and 129 within the central part of the cluster. The tidal radius of the cluster is 17.8 - 22.8 parsecs (58 - 75 light years) and represents the average outer limit of NGC 4349, beyond which a star is unlikely to remain gravitationally bound to the cluster core.[4] One blue straggler has been detected in the cluster.[5] There are four Cepheid variables in the direction of the cluster, among them R and T Crucis, which, however, are not members of the cluster.[6] R Crucis lies 16 arcminutes from the centre of the open cluster NGC 4349, which is beyond the outer limit of the cluster, and is estimated to be nearly 1 kpc closer to Earth than the cluster.[7] The cluster has subsolar metallicity (−0.12 ± 0.06).[8]
A brown dwarf with minimum mass 19.8 times that of Jupiter has been detected orbiting star no. 127 (vmag. 10.88 and with mass 3.9 M☉) every 678 days. At the time of discovery, star NGC 4349 No. 127 was the heaviest star with an accurate mass determination around which a substellar companion had been detected, and also one of the youngest systems known.[9] However, this star's radial velocity variations were later shown to result from stellar activity rather than a substellar companion.[10][11]