List of largest star clusters

|+List of largest known star clusters

!Cluster name

!Diameter (light-years)

!Type of cluster

!Notes

|316{{cite web|title = Terzan 7 @ seds|url = http://spider.seds.org/spider/MWGC/ter07.html|access-date = 2024-02-13|archive-date = 2024-02-13|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240213143719/http://spider.seds.org/spider/MWGC/ter07.html|url-status = live}}

| rowspan="4" |Globular cluster

|

|306From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 153 ly.

|

|238{{cite web |title=Angular Size calculator |url=http://1728.org/angsize.htm |access-date=9 May 2015 |website=1728.org |archive-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503021555/http://www.1728.org/angsize.htm |url-status=live }}

|

|226{{cite journal |last1=Brosche |first1=P. |last2=Odenkirchen |first2=M. |last3=Geffert |first3=M. |date=March 1999 |title=Instantaneous and average tidal radii of globular clusters |journal=New Astronomy |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=133–139 |bibcode=1999NewA....4..133B |doi=10.1016/S1384-1076(99)00014-7}}

|

|190{{citation |last1=Santos |first1=J. F. C. Jr. |title=Structure and stellar content analysis of the open cluster M 11 with 2MASS photometry |date=October 2005 |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=442 |issue=1 |pages=201–209 |postscript=. |arxiv=astro-ph/0507216 |bibcode=2005A&A...442..201S |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20053378 |s2cid=15323948 |display-authors=1 |last2=Bonatto |first2=C. |last3=Bica |first3=E.}}

|Open cluster

|

|174.4distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 87.3 ly. radius

| rowspan="12" |Globular cluster

|

|172 ± 12distance × sin(diameter_angle / 2), using distance of 5 kpc and angle 36.3′, = 86 ± 6 ly radius

|Largest globular cluster in the Milky Way.{{cite web |title=Omega Centauri: The Largest Globular Cluster |url=http://www.universeforfacts.com/2013/11/omega-centauri-largest-globular-cluster.html |access-date=21 December 2014 |website=Universe for Facts |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308083246/http://www.universeforfacts.com/2013/11/omega-centauri-largest-globular-cluster.html |url-status=usurped }}

|168distance × sin(diameter_angle / 2) = 84 ly radius

|

|166distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 88 ly radius

|

|152distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 76 ly. radius

|

|126From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 67 ly.

|

|120distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 60 ly. radius

|

|106distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 53 ly. radius

|

|100 ± 10From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 50 ly

|One of the first star clusters ever discovered.{{cite journal |last1=Monaco |first1=L. |last2=Pancino |first2=E. |last3=Ferraro |first3=F. R. |last4=Bellazzini |first4=M. |date=2004 |title=Wide-field photometry of the Galactic globular cluster M22 |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=349 |issue=4 |pages=1278–1290 |arxiv=astro-ph/0401392 |bibcode=2004MNRAS.349.1278M |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07599.x |doi-access=free |s2cid=18252633}}

|100

|

|98distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 49 ly. radius

|

|96From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 17,600 × sin(19′/2) = 48.6 ly.

|

|94{{cite journal |last1=Nayak |first1=P. K. |last2=Subramaniam |first2=A. |last3=Choudhury |first3=S. |last4=Sagar |first4=Ram |display-authors=1 |date=September 2018 |title=Star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. II. Age-dating, classification, and spatio-temporal distribution of the SMC clusters |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=616 |pages=24 |arxiv=1804.00635 |bibcode=2018A&A...616A.187N |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201732227 |s2cid=55901741 |id=A187}}

|Open cluster

|

|90From trigonometry: distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 28,700 × 0.00157 = 45 ly. radius

| rowspan="6" |Globular cluster

|

|90{{Cite journal |last1=Boyles |first1=J. |last2=Lorimer |first2=D. R. |last3=Turk |first3=P. J. |last4=Mnatsakanov |first4=R. |last5=Lynch |first5=R. S. |last6=Ransom |first6=S. M. |last7=Freire |first7=P. C. |last8=Belczynski |first8=K. |date=2011-11-20 |title=Young Radio Pulsars in Galactic Globular Clusters |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/742/1/51 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=742 |issue=1 |pages=51 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/742/1/51 |issn=0004-637X |arxiv=1108.4402 |bibcode=2011ApJ...742...51B |archive-date=2022-05-13 |access-date=2023-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513131334/https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/742/1/51 |url-status=live }}

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|84From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 32,900 × sin(8.8′/2) = 42.1 ly.

|

|83.2distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 41.6 ly. radius

|

|80distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 40 ly. radius

|

|79From trigonometry: distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 39.5 ly. radius

|

|75.6{{Cite journal |last1=Piskunov |first1=A. E. |last2=Schilbach |first2=E. |last3=Kharchenko |first3=N. V. |last4=Röser |first4=S. |last5=Scholz |first5=R.-D. |date=June 2007 |title=Towards absolute scales for the radii and masses of open clusters |url=http://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20077073 |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=468 |issue=1 |pages=151–161 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20077073 |issn=0004-6361|arxiv=astro-ph/0702517 |bibcode=2007A&A...468..151P }}

|Open cluster

|

|75{{Cite web |last=Plotner |first=Tammy |date=February 22, 2016 |title=Messier 4 (M4) – The NGC 6121 Globular Cluster |url=https://www.universetoday.com/31147/messier-4/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=Universe Today |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125124155/https://www.universetoday.com/31147/messier-4/ |url-status=live }}

| rowspan="3" |Globular cluster

|Nearest globular cluster to the Earth. Also the first globular cluster known to have exoplanets (PSR B1620-26b)

|74.4distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 37.2 ly radius

|

|68distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 34 ly. radius

|

|66{{cite web |date=April 18, 2006 |title=Open Star Cluster NGC 290 |url=https://sci.esa.int/web/hubble/-/39110-open-star-cluster-ngc-290 |access-date=2020-09-10 |website=ESA Science & Technology |archive-date=2021-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924192938/https://sci.esa.int/web/hubble/-/39110-open-star-cluster-ngc-290 |url-status=live }}

|Open cluster

|

|60From trigonometry: radius = distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 30 ly

|Globular cluster

|

|52.4{{citation |last1=Joshi |first1=Y. C. |title=Study of open clusters within 1.8 kpc and understanding the Galactic structure |date=October 2016 |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=593 |pages=13 |postscript=. |arxiv=1606.06425 |bibcode=2016A&A...593A.116J |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201628944 |s2cid=118610932 |id=A116 |display-authors=1 |last2=Dambis |first2=A. K. |last3=Pandey |first3=A. K. |last4=Joshi |first4=S.}}

|Open cluster

|

|49 (half-light), 7,800 (tidal){{cite journal |last1=MacKey |first1=A. D |last2=Ferguson |first2=A. M. N |last3=Irwin |first3=M. J |last4=Martin |first4=N. F |last5=Huxor |first5=A. P |last6=Tanvir |first6=N. R |last7=Chapman |first7=S. C |last8=Ibata |first8=R. A |last9=Lewis |first9=G. F |last10=McConnachie |first10=A. W |year=2010 |title=Deep Gemini/GMOS imaging of an extremely isolated globular cluster in the Local Group |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=401 |issue=1 |pages=533–546 |arxiv=0909.1456 |bibcode=2010MNRAS.401..533M |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15678.x |doi-access=free |s2cid=53377049}}

| rowspan="2" |Globular cluster

|

|{{val|42|1}} (half-light), {{val|526|25.4}} (tidal){{cite journal |author1=Ma, J. |author2=de Grijs, R. |author3=Chen, D. |author4=van den Bergh, S. |author5=Fan, Z. |author6=Wu, Z. |author7=Wu, H. |author8=Zhou, X. |author9=Wu, J. |author10=Jiang, Z. |author11=Chen, J. |date=April 2007 |title=Structural parameters of Mayall II = G1 in M31 |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=376 |issue=4 |pages=1621–1629 |arxiv=astro-ph/0702012 |bibcode=2007MNRAS.376.1621M |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11573.x |doi-access=free |s2cid=3591548}}

|

|40.68{{Cite journal |last1=Danilov |first1=Vladimir M. |last2=Seleznev |first2=Anton F. |date=October 2020 |title=On the Motion of Stars in the Pleiades according to Gaia DR2 Data |journal=Astrophysical Bulletin |volume=75 |issue=4 |pages=407–424 |doi=10.1134/S1990341320040045 |arxiv=2012.15289 |bibcode=2020AstBu..75..407D |issn=1990-3413}}

| rowspan="7" |Open cluster

|Nearest Messier Object to Earth and the easiest to see in the night sky.

|26.1{{Cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=B. |last2=Figer |first2=D. F. |last3=Kudritzki |first3=R. P. |last4=MacKenty |first4=J. |last5=Najarro |first5=F. |last6=Herrero |first6=A. |year=2007 |title=A Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants at the Base of the Scutum-Crux Arm |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=671 |issue=1 |pages=781–801 |arxiv=0708.0821 |bibcode=2007ApJ...671..781D |doi=10.1086/522224 |s2cid=1447781}}

|

|22.8{{Cite journal |last1=Lodieu |first1=N. |last2=Pérez-Garrido |first2=A. |last3=Smart |first3=R. L. |last4=Silvotti |first4=R. |date=2019-08-01 |title=A 5D view of the α Per, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019A%26A...628A..66L |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=628 |pages=A66 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201935533 |arxiv=1906.03924 |bibcode=2019A&A...628A..66L |issn=0004-6361 |archive-date=2023-12-14 |access-date=2024-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214084054/https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019A%26A...628A..66L |url-status=live }}

|

|20{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2015 |title=Jewel Box Cluster |url=https://www.constellation-guide.com/jewel-box-cluster/ |website=constellation-guide.com}}

|

|17.6{{Citation |last1=Perryman |first1=M. A. C. |title=The Hyades: distance, structure, dynamics, and age |year=1998 |last2=Brown |first2=A. G. A. |last3=Lebreton |first3=Y. |last4=Gomez |first4=A. |last5=Turon |first5=C. |last6=de Strobel |first6=G. Cayrel |last7=Mermilliod |first7=J. C. |last8=Robichon |first8=N. |last9=Kovalevsky |first9=J.|journal=Astron. Astrophys. |volume=331 |page=81 |arxiv=astro-ph/9707253 |bibcode=1998A&A...331...81P }}

|Nearest open cluster

|15{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2021 |title=The Beehive Cluster |url=https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/stars/star-clusters/beehive-cluster |access-date=January 22, 2024 |website=BBC Sky at Night Magazine |archive-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122211026/https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/stars/star-clusters/beehive-cluster |url-status=live }}

|

|9.78 ± 1.96{{Cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=B. |last2=Figer |first2=D. F. |last3=Law |first3=C. J. |last4=Kudritzki |first4=R. P. |last5=Najarro |first5=F. |last6=Herrero |first6=A. |last7=MacKenty |first7=J. W. |year=2008 |title=The Cool Supergiant Population of the Massive Young Star Cluster RSGC1 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=676 |issue=2 |pages=1016–1028 |arxiv=0711.4757 |bibcode=2008ApJ...676.1016D |doi=10.1086/527350 |issn=0004-637X |s2cid=15639297 |doi-access=free}}

|

|6.52{{cite journal |last1=Portegies Zwart |first1=Simon F. |last2=McMillan |first2=Stephen L.W. |last3=Gieles |first3=Mark |year=2010 |title=Young Massive Star Clusters |journal=Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=48 |pages=431–493 |arxiv=1002.1961 |bibcode=2010ARA&A..48..431P |doi=10.1146/annurev-astro-081309-130834 |s2cid=119207843}}

|Super Star Cluster/Open cluster

|