AFGL 2591
| Reflection nebula | |
|---|---|
| molecular cloud | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 20h 29m 24.867s |
| Declination | +40° 11′ 19.41″ |
| Distance | 3330±110 pc |
| Apparent diameter | 0.51' |
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | est. 0.87–2.0 pc |
| Notable features | high-mass star-forming region |
| Designations | AFGL 2591 IRAS 20275+4001 RAFGL 2591 |
AFGL 2591 is a star forming region in the constellation Cygnus. Its dense cloud of gas and dust make its interior invisible to optical telescopes. Images in the infrared show a bright young stellar object, with an associated reflection nebula seen as a glowing cone projecting from the young star. A cluster of stars is forming within the molecular cloud, but most of the infrared radiation is coming from this star, AFGL 2591-VLA3.
Initially AFGL 2591 was thought to be a single young, massive star expelling clouds of gas and dust in multiple events. It was estimated to be about 10 times the mass of the sun and at a distance of only 1,000 parsecs (3,300 light-years).