Caldwell 42
Star cluster in Delphinus · 135,000 light-years
🔭 Explore Caldwell 42 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 42 images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Delphinus |
| Right ascension | 21h 01m 29s |
| Declination | +16° 11′ |
| Object distance | 135,000 light-years |
| Apparent magnitude | 10.5 |
| Apparent size | 4.2′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 164.9 light-years across |
| Also known as | C42 · NGC 7006 |
Caldwell 42 is a star cluster (NGC 7006) in Delphinus — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 42 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 4.2 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 10.5, it is a fainter object best hunted with a moderate telescope under dark skies.
Although it appears about 4.2′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 164.9 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Caldwell 42
Caldwell 42 lies in the constellation Delphinus and is best placed in the evening sky around August. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. Lying near the celestial equator, it can be seen from both hemispheres. It is faint — plan for a moderate telescope and a dark, moonless sky.
See Caldwell 42 in Universe Finder
Open the interactive 3D map to fly to Caldwell 42 and see it in context among the real stars around it. Launch the 3D view →
Sources
- Position, magnitude and angular size from the OpenNGC catalogue (Mattia Verga).
- Object identity cross-referenced with SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg).
- Image credits and the original observation source are linked with each photograph.
Related objects
- Pleiades — star cluster
- Hercules Cluster — star cluster
- Small Sgr Star Cloud — star cluster
- Messier 25 — star cluster
- Messier 103 — star cluster