Stephenson 2 DFK 1

Stephenson 2 DFK 1

Stephenson 2 DFK 1 together with its supposed parent cluster Stephenson 2 (upper left), viewed by the Two-Micron All Sky Survey
Credit: Université de Strasbourg/CNRS (2003)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Scutum
Right ascension 18h 39m 02.3709s
Declination −06° 05 10.5357
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Red supergiant, possible extreme red hypergiant
Spectral type ~M6
Apparent magnitude (G) 15.2631±0.0092
Apparent magnitude (J) 7.150
Apparent magnitude (H) 4.698
Apparent magnitude (K) 2.9
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)89 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −3.045±0.511 mas/yr
Dec.: −5.950±0.480 mas/yr
Distance18,900 (disputed) ly
(5,800 pc)
Other designations
Stephenson 2 DFK 1, St2-18, 2MASS J18390238-0605106, IRAS 18363-0607, DENIS J183902.4-060510, MSX6C G026.1044-00.0283
Database references
SIMBADdata

Stephenson 2 DFK 1, also known as RSGC2-01 or St2-18, is a red supergiant (RSG) or possible extreme red hypergiant (RHG) star in the constellation of Scutum. It lies near the open cluster Stephenson 2, which is located about 5.8 kiloparsecs (19,000 light-years) away from Earth in the Scutum–Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, and is assumed to be one of a group of stars at a similar distance, although some studies consider it to be an unrelated or foreground red supergiant.