DU Crucis is one of the brighter members of the Jewel Box Cluster and the brightest red supergiant, strongly contrasting with the other bright members which are blue supergiants.
It is part of the central bar of the prominent letter "A"-shaped asterism at the centre of the cluster.
 The cluster is part of the larger Centaurus OB1 association and lies about 8,500 light years away.

The cluster is just to the south-east of β Crucis, the lefthand star of the  Southern Cross.
DU Crucis is one of the brighter members of the Jewel Box Cluster and the brightest red supergiant, strongly contrasting with the other bright members which are blue supergiants. It is part of the central bar of the prominent letter "A"-shaped asterism at the centre of the cluster.  The cluster is part of the larger Centaurus OB1 association and lies about 8,500 light years away.
The cluster is just to the south-east of β Crucis, the lefthand star of the  Southern Cross.
DU Crucis