NGC 4755 is a magnitude 4.2 open star cluster located near the Southern Cross. It is a brilliant galactic cluster popularly known as the Jewel Box. The object got its name from John Herschel, who said it gave him the impression of a superb piece of jewelry. The brightest stars are supergiants and include some of the most luminous stars known in our galaxy, shining with a luminosity of up to 80,000 suns. All of the brightest members are B stars, except for the red supergiant M star that stands out near the center of the group. The red supergiant has a luminosity of about 16,000 suns and is similar to Betelgeuse in Orion. The Jewel Box is a relatively young star cluster with an age of no more than a few million years.
This image was taken at Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. A Takahashi FS-78 refractor was used with an ST-8XE CCD carried on an EM-10 mount converted to a Temma GOTO system. This is an RGB color composite image.
NGC 4755
Constellation: Crux
RA: 12h 53m 54s Dec: -60d 23' 19"
September 3, 2005
Image by Sid Leach
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
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