Menu

IC 2944 C — Open Cluster in Centaurus

Open Cluster Excellent (60/100)
Magnitude 4.5m OpenCluster Centaurus (Cen) Visible
Star Map
+ List + Plan Star Hop

Observe

1Properties

Magnitude 4.5
Angular Size 7.2′
*3.4 in eL neb

Position & Identifiers

RA 11h 36m 36.0s
Dec -63° 01' 60.0"
Constellation Centaurus (Cen)
Catalog IC 2944 C

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 Feb – Apr (peak: Mar)

4 Eyepiece View

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

IC 2944 C · 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.

Lambda Centauri Nebula
IC 2944
Medium+
Emission nebula — try an OIII filter
Emission Nebula mag 4.5 0.1° Centaurus
C97
NGC 3766
Easy
Rich open cluster
Open Cluster mag 5.3 1.4° Centaurus
Melotte 105
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 9.6 2.0° Carina
IC 2714
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 8.0 2.2° Carina
NGC 4052
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 9.0 2.9° Crux
U Car
Easy
Pulsating variable, period 38.8d
Variable Star mag 6.11 5.7° Carina
Show on Map

Explore Nightbase

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

Centaurus
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
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
Venus
Phases, transits, and the brightest planet in the sky.
Deep dive
}