M48
NGC 2548
Properties
Position & Identifiers
Visibility
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About M48
Description
M48 is a large, bright open cluster in Hydra, about 2,500 light-years from Earth. It contains roughly 80 stars spread across about 23 light-years, with an age of about 300 million years. The cluster features a prominent triangular pattern of bright stars along with several orange and yellow giants among its blue-white members.
Observing Tips
Located in a relatively sparse region of Hydra, about 3 degrees southeast of Zeta Monocerotis. Visible to the naked eye from dark sites. Binoculars show a large, scattered group with a triangular core pattern. A telescope at 40-60x provides the best view, showing about 50 stars with nice color variety. The cluster spans about 30 arcminutes, so moderate magnification is ideal. Best observed from January through April.
History
Discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771, but with an error in recorded position. Like M47, this led to M48 being 'lost' until the mid-20th century. It was identified with NGC 2548 by T.F. Morris in 1959.
Fun Facts
M48 was another 'lost' Messier object — Messier's recorded position was off by about 4 degrees, leading later astronomers to find nothing at the given coordinates. It took nearly 200 years to match M48 with the known cluster NGC 2548.
Community Photos (1)
Credit: Jim Mazur. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Feb 28, 2026