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NGC 3603
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==Observations== [[File:Eso1425a.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6|NGC 3603 (left) and [[NGC 3576]] are star formation regions in the southern [[Milky Way]].]] NGC 3603 was observed by [[John Herschel]] on 14 March 1834 during his [[John Herschel#Visit to South Africa|visit to South Africa]], who remarked that it was "a very remarkable object...perhaps a [[globular cluster]]". Herschel catalogued it as [[nebula]] 3334 in his ''Results of Astronomical Observations made at the Cape of Good Hope'', published in 1847. In 1864 the [[Royal Society]] published his ''[[General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters]]'', where he listed it as number 2354. It was subsequently incorporated into the ''[[New General Catalogue]]'' as by [[J. L. E. Dreyer]] as NGC 3603.<ref name=sher1965>{{cite journal |last=Sher |first=D. |title=The Curious History of NGC 3603 |journal=Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada |volume=59 |pages=67–70 |year=1965 |bibcode=1965JRASC..59...67S}}</ref> The central cluster was catalogued as the star [[HD 97950]], but has long been recognised as nebulous or multiple.<ref name=sher1965/> It was also noted for having an unusual emission spectrum and the spectral type was given as Oe in the [[Henry Draper Catalogue]]. This was later refined to WN5 + O as the emission was recognised as characteristic of a [[Wolf–Rayet star]].<ref name=sher1965/> Eventually, the cluster would be resolved and found to contain three of the [[List of most massive stars|most massive]] and [[List of most luminous stars|most luminous]] stars known, as well as a number of luminous O class stars and many fainter stars.<ref name=harayama2008>{{cite journal|bibcode=2008ApJ...675.1319H|title=The Initial Mass Function of the Massive Star-forming Region NGC 3603 from Near-Infrared Adaptive Optics Observations|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|volume=675|issue=2|pages=1319|last1=Harayama|first1=Y.|last2=Eisenhauer|first2=F.|last3=Martins|first3=F.|year=2008|doi=10.1086/524650|arxiv = 0710.2882 |s2cid=17905999 }}</ref>
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