Cygnus X (star complex)

Cygnus-X is a massive star formation region located in the constellation of Cygnus at a distance from the Sun of 1.4 kiloparsecs (4,600 light years).

As it is located behind the Cygnus Rift and its light is heavily absorbed by the Milky Way's interstellar dust, it is better studied in other wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that penetrate it such as the infrared.

As studies done with the help of the Spitzer Space Telescope have shown, Cygnus-X has a size of 200 parsecs and contains the largest number of massive protostars as well as the largest stellar association (Cygnus OB2, with up to 2,600 stars of spectral type OB and a mass of up to 105 solar masses) within a radius of 2 kiloparsecs of the Sun.

Ongoing research has shown Cygnus X includes two stellar associations: Cygnus OB2 and Cygnus OB9 as well as an additional large number of early-type stars that include BD+40°4210, a blue supergiant star and luminous blue variable candidate that is one of the brightest stars of the association, as well as more supergiant stars of spectral types O and B.

The same study shows that star formation has been taking place there during at least 10 million years, continuing to the present day.

Cygnus X as imaged by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
On the left image side are the bright North America Nebula (left bright part) with Sadr region (right bright part) in the Cygnus X region, visually interrupted by the Cygnus rift, of the Cygnus constellation , in this x-ray image.