| Molecular cloud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observation data:J2000epoch | |
| Right ascension | 18h 47m 32.4s[1] |
| Declination | −01° 56′ 31″[1] |
| Distance | 20000 ly (6000 pc) |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 6.3′[1] |
| Constellation | Aquila |
| Designations | SNR G030.8-00.0, 3C 390.2[1] |
| See also:Lists of nebulae | |
Westerhout 43, also known asW43, is a region ofstar formation of ourgalaxy located in theconstellation ofAquila at a distance of 6kilo-parsecs (nearly 20,000light-years) of theSun, that is considered the region of theMilky Way that is most actively forming stars.[2] Despite this, however, it is so heavilyobscured by theinterstellar dust that it is totally invisible in theoptical and must be studied using otherwavelengths that are not affected by it, such as theinfrared or theradio waves.
This star-forming region is located in the5-kpc ring, a ring with that radius that encircles the centralbar of our galaxy and that contains most of itsmolecular hydrogen as well as most of its star formation.[3]
It is associated with a very massive complex ofmolecular clouds with a total mass of more than 7 million timesmore than the Sun and which is forming stars of all masses withinstar clusters that are less massive versions of those found onstarburst galaxies;[4] it still has capacity to form more clusters.[5]
There are also massiveprotostars as well as stellar clusters in formation embedded within the nebula,[6] with this star formation region likened toNGC 3603[7]
W43's center, finally, contains a dense and massive star cluster with severalO stars andWolf-Rayet stars that has been compared due to its compactness to NGC 3603 or evenLarge Magellanic Cloud'sR136.[7]
