Menu

IC 2488 — Open Cluster in Vela

Open Cluster Good (56/100)
Magnitude 7.0m OpenCluster Vela (Vel) Visible
Star Map
+ List + Plan Star Hop

Observe

1Properties

Magnitude 7.0
Angular Size 7.2′
Cl, co

Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 27m 38.2s
Dec -57° 00' 24.8"
Constellation Vela (Vel)
Catalog IC 2488

2How easy to spot?

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.
Telescope Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
80mm refr. Easy Easy Easy
150mm Newt. Easy Easy Easy
C8 203mm Easy Easy Easy
Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Easy on Seestar S50

3Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

4 Eyepiece View

Log in to set your own equipment
125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6
N E

IC 2488 · 7.2′ diameter

5 Best Magnification

Explore

6 Classification Decoder

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.

NGC 3033
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 8.8 2.9° Vela
NGC 2925
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 8.0 3.7° Vela
NGC 2910
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 7.2 4.1° Vela
V376 Car
Easy
Easy double, sep 40.1″
Double Star mag 4.92 4.6° Carina
NGC 2714
Hard
Elliptical galaxy
Galaxy mag 13.15 5.0° Carina
NGC 3105
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 9.7 5.1° Vela
R Car
Easy
Mira-type variable, range 3.9–10.1
Variable Star mag 6.10 5.8° Carina
Show on Map

Explore Nightbase

Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.

The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
The HR diagram turns the night sky into a physics map: every named star has a spot, every spot tells you mass, age, and fate. A guide for amateur observers.
Article
Vela
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
Mars
Polar caps, dust storms, and observing its oppositions.
Deep dive
}