Apparent: 90° Actual: c.250 light years These figures describe the average diameter of the aperture into the star cloud, as seen from Earth; the starfield beyond extends more than 10,000 light years into the heart of the Galaxy
This 'star cloud' is not a true cluster, nor a distinct deep sky object of any kind, but a view into the densely starred regions of the inner Milky Way afforded by a patch of sky relatively free of obscuring gas and dust.