Observe
1Properties
Magnitude
8.0
Angular Size
15 arcmin
Distance
7,800 ly
Open Cluster
Position & Identifiers
Physical size
34 light-years across
— about 4.0× the Sun-to-Sirius distance
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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
5
Best Magnification
Discover
6
Light Travel Time Machine
7
Relativistic Travel
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.
Southern Pleiades
IC 2602
Scattered bright open cluster
Open Cluster
mag 1.9
0.7°
Carina
IC 2554
Barred spiral galaxy
Galaxy
mag 11.70
3.9°
Carina
Melotte 105
Open cluster
Open Cluster
mag 9.6
4.4°
Carina
NGC 3519
Open cluster
Open Cluster
mag 7.70
4.5°
Carina
IC 2714
Open cluster
Open Cluster
mag 8.0
4.5°
Carina
S Car
Mira-type variable, range 4.5–9.9
Variable Star
mag 5.60
5.1°
Carina
NGC 3372
eta Car nebula
Emission nebula — try an OIII filter
Emission Nebula
mag 3.00
5.2°
Carina
Explore Nightbase
Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.
The Life of Stars
From birth in a nebula to spectacular death — how stars are born, shine, swell, and die, and how to read the clues in their starlight.
Article
Carina
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
Jupiter
The Great Red Spot, cloud belts, and the Galilean moons.
Deep dive