As with the TW Hya association, the eta Cha cluster is far from any significant molecular cloud and thus has mysterious origins. The cluster appears to share proper motions with other young stars in the Chamaeleon region and may be a compact extension of the Sco-Cen OB association. These are two optical images of the cluster made through the Digitized Sky Survey. These diagnostics indicate that the stars are young Weak-lined T Tauri stars.
Angstroms can demonstrate the youth of low-mass stars.
This Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram can be used to infer ages and masses for the stars. The bright regions are areas where warm dust is reradiating starlight. The dust also coincides with gas, from which stars can form in particularly dense areas. This shock likely cleared the eta Cha cluster of the gas it formed from. The galactic velocities of eta Cha are consistant with having been ejected from this complex.