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J. L. Turner (UCLA), S. C. Beck (Center for Astrophysics and Tel Aviv University), L. P. Crosthwaite, D. S. Meier (UCLA)
We present a K band image of the starburst center of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. The image reveals a highly reddened and very luminous stellar cluster at the center that is at least a factor of two brighter than any other cluster in the galaxy. This cluster is close (within the uncertainties) to the location of the 1 to 2 pc-sized ``supernebula'' seen in radio and mid-infrared images. The excitation of the supernebula requires a compact cluster with the UV equivalent of 4000 O7 stars, or a million stars for a Salpeter IMF; it is possible that the K band cluster provides the excitation for this nebula. The presence of the supernebula and the high degree of reddening toward the cluster suggest that this cluster is much younger than the other young (2-3 Myr) visible super star clusters in the starburst. The energetic dominance of the cluster/nebula also sets it apart from the other SSCs in NGC 5253: this few pc sized region accounts for at least 25 bolometric luminosity of the entire galaxy, and 30 total IR luminosity of 2 x 109 Lsun.