- M 41 (NGC 2287)
M 41 is a large, coarse open cluster lying along the border of the Winter Milky Way in the constellation Canis Major. This is one of the clusters the discovery of which is attributed to Giovanni Bautista Hodeierna in 1654. It was independently re-discovered by Flamsteed in 1702 and Le Gentil in 1749. Messier observed it in January of 1765.
M 41 has a visual magnitude of 4.5 and can be seen with the naked eye under dark sky conditions. It is a fine target for binoculars or a small telescope. The cluster lies at a distance of around 2260 LY and contains around 70 member stars, some of which are Class G and K giants— these appear orange-ish in my image. The bright blue-white star along the lower right edge of the cluster is 12 Canis Majoris. It lies at a distance of 670 LY so is obviously a foreground object and not a physical member of the cluster. The age of M 41 is estimated to be around 190 million years.
|
Return to SOCO Image Gallery