Caldwell 96 — Open Cluster in Carina
NGC 2516
About C96
Description
NGC 2516 is a large, bright open cluster in Carina, about 1,300 light-years away. At magnitude 3.8 it is easily visible to the naked eye, spanning 30 arcminutes and containing over 100 stars. It is sometimes called the Southern Beehive due to its resemblance to M44.
Observing Tips
An excellent naked-eye and binocular cluster. Too large for most telescopes at high power — binoculars or a wide-field scope at low power give the best view. Several red giants provide color contrast. Best from southern latitudes in late winter and spring.
History
Discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751. It is one of the brightest clusters visible from southern latitudes and a standard comparison to the northern Beehive Cluster (M44).
Fun Facts
NGC 2516 is about 140 million years old, similar to the Pleiades. X-ray observations have detected many magnetically active stars, and the cluster has been used to study the rotation rates and activity levels of solar-type stars.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
3Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
4
Eyepiece View
5
Best Magnification
6Where this cluster sits in time
Open clusters span more than four orders of magnitude in age — from newborn OB associations to ancient, metal-rich survivors.
7
Colour-Magnitude Diagram
A cluster's colour-magnitude diagram reveals its age: the bluer the turn-off point where the main sequence bends into red giants, the younger the cluster.
Each point is a Gaia-DR3 member. Colour encodes spectral type; size reflects membership probability.
Explore
8
Classification Decoder
Discover
9
Light Travel Time Machine
10
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: G Furtado. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
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