C64
NGC 2362
Dados do Objeto
- Designação do Catálogo
- C64
- Tipo
- OpenCluster
- Constelação
- Canis Major
- Magnitude
- 4.1
- Ascensão Reta
- 07h 08m 42.0s
- Declinação
- -24° 57' 18.0"
- Distância
- 5,100 anos-luz
- Tamanho Angular
- 8
Imagem de Levantamento
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Sobre C64
Descrição
NGC 2362 is a compact, young open cluster in Canis Major, about 4,800 light-years away. It is dominated by the brilliant magnitude 4.4 blue supergiant Tau Canis Majoris at its center, surrounded by about 60 fainter members within 8 arcminutes.
Dicas de Observação
A striking sight in small telescopes, with the dazzling Tau CMa surrounded by a spray of fainter stars. Best at 60-100x. The cluster is easy to find as Tau CMa is visible to the naked eye. Best in winter evenings.
História
Discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654. The cluster is only about 5 million years old, making it one of the youngest open clusters known.
Curiosidades
Tau Canis Majoris, the cluster's brightest star, is actually a multiple star system with at least 5 components. The primary is an O-type supergiant about 50,000 times more luminous than the Sun and will likely explode as a supernova.
Fotos da Comunidade (1)
Credit: Chuck Ayoub. License: CC0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026