Scutum–Centaurus Arm

Observed structure of the Milky Way's spiral arms

The Scutum-Crux arm (also known as Centaurus Arm) is a secondary spiral arm of the Milky Way. This arm is located between the Sagittarius Arm and the Norma Arm.

The arm starts near the core as the Scutum arm, then gradually turns into the Crux arm.

The region where the Scutum-Crux arm meets the central bulge of the galaxy is rich in star-forming regions. In 2006 a large cluster of new stars containing 14 red supergiant stars was discovered there and named RSGC1. In 2007 a cluster of approximately 50,000 newly formed stars named RSGC2 was located only a few hundred light years from RSGC1; it is thought to be less than 20 million years old and contains 26 red supergiant stars, the largest grouping of such stars known.

External links

• http://skyandtelescope.com/mm_images/6829.jpg