IC 348
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
03h44m34s[2]
+32° 09.8′[2]
1,028 ly (315 pc)[3]
7.3[2]
Physical characteristics
Estimated age
2 million years
Other designations
C 0341+321, Collinder41
Associations
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters
IC 348 is a star-forming region in the constellation Perseus located about 1,000 light years from the Sun. It consists of nebulosity and an associated 2-million-year-old cluster of roughly 400 stars within an angular diameter of 20″. The most massive stars in the cluster are the binary star system BD+31°643, which has a combined spectral class of B5.[3] Based upon infrared observations using the Spitzer Space Telescope, about half of the stars in the cluster have a circumstellar disk, of which 60% are thick or primordial disks.[4]
The relatively young age of the IC 348 star cluster has facilitated the discovery of three low-mass brown dwarfs. As these objects cool over time, they become more detectable, particularly in their youth.[5] Recent observations[6] conducted in 2023 by the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed these findings, identifying them as the smallest free-floating brown dwarfs on record, with the lightest among them weighing a mere three to four times the mass of Jupiter. This groundbreaking revelation, announced[7] by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope team, challenges existing paradigms in the field of stellar formation. Found within the IC 348 cluster, located 1,000 light-years away in the Perseus star-forming region, these brown dwarfs serve as intriguing celestial entities, bridging the gap between stars and planets. Some share striking similarities with gas giants, boasting masses just slightly larger than Jupiter.
In 2023, the emission spectrum of tryptophan was discovered in the interstellar gas of the star cluster IC 348.[8]
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