Caldwell 64
Star cluster in Canis Major · 5,100 light-years
🔭 Explore Caldwell 64 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 64 images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Right ascension | 7h 18m 41s |
| Declination | −24° 57′ |
| Object distance | 5,100 light-years |
| Apparent magnitude | 4.1 |
| Apparent size | 7.2′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 10.7 light-years across |
| Also known as | C64 · NGC 2362 |
Caldwell 64 is a star cluster (NGC 2362) in Canis Major — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 64 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 7.2 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 4.1, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Although it appears about 7.2′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 10.7 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Caldwell 64
Caldwell 64 lies in the constellation Canis Major and is best placed in the evening sky around January. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. It is best placed for observers in the southern hemisphere, and sits low for those far north. At its brightness it can be found with the unaided eye under a dark sky and is easy in binoculars.
See Caldwell 64 in Universe Finder
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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