What is the Gould Belt?
Q: What is the Gould Belt?
A: The Gould Belt is a partial ring of stars local to us in the Milky Way.
Q: How big is the Gould Belt?
A: The Gould Belt is about 3000 light years across.
Q: What types of stars are found in the Gould Belt?
A: The Gould Belt has many large and bright O- and B-type stars.
Q: What is the age of the Gould Belt?
A: The Gould Belt is thought to be from 30 to 50 million years old.
Q: Who discovered the Gould Belt and when?
A: Benjamin Gould identified the Gould Belt in 1879.
Q: What constellations are included in the Gould Belt?
A: The belt contains bright stars in many constellations including Cepheus, Lacerta, Perseus, Orion, Canis Major, Puppis, Vela, Carina, Crux (the Southern Cross), Centaurus, Lupus, and Scorpius (including the Scorpius-Centaurus Association).
Q: Is the Sun part of the Gould Belt?
A: The Sun is about 325 light years from the arm's center and may be part of the local spiral arm to which the Gould Belt belongs.
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