NGC 3603

NGC 3603 is a nebula situated in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way around 20,000 light-years away from the Solar System. It is a massive H II region containing a very compact open cluster (probably a super star cluster) HD 97950. It is located next to NGC 3576 (Staue of Liberty Nebula).

NGC 3603 is the most massive visible cloud of glowing gas and plasma, known as a H II region, in the Milky Way. The central star cluster is the densest concentration of very massive stars known in the galaxy. Three prominent Wolf–Rayet stars have been detected within the cluster, all originally unresolved and known as the single star HD 97950.

The brightest of the three, HD 97950A1 (or NGC 3603-A1) is actually a pair of Wolf–Rayet stars that orbit around each other once every 3.77 days. The primary is an estimated mass 120 M☉, while its companion is 92 M☉. The star designated HD 97950B is a single star more massive and more luminous than either of the individual members of HD 97950A1. It is 2,880,000 times as luminous as the sun and 132 times as massive.