Star Forming Region in Vela

RCW 38 is a star-forming region in the southern constellation of Vela (known as the Sails). It includes an embedded HII region and a super star cluster. This region is located at a distance of approximately 5,500 light-years from the Sun.

This is the youngest super star cluster in the Milky Way galaxy, with age estimates ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 Myr. It has around 10,000 member stars. The cluster member stars are still enshrouded within the dark cloud in which they were born. The star cluster is surrounded by clouds of brightly glowing gas and includes many protostars.