Caldwell 66
Star cluster in Hydra · 113,000 light-years
🔭 Explore Caldwell 66 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 66 images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension | 14h 39m 37s |
| Declination | −26° 32′ |
| Object distance | 113,000 light-years |
| Apparent magnitude | 10.9 |
| Apparent size | 3.3′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 108.5 light-years across |
| Also known as | C66 · NGC 5694 |
Caldwell 66 is a star cluster (NGC 5694) in Hydra — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 66 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 3.3 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 10.9, it is a fainter object best hunted with a moderate telescope under dark skies.
Although it appears about 3.3′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 108.5 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Caldwell 66
Caldwell 66 lies in the constellation Hydra and is best placed in the evening sky around April. 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. It is faint — plan for a moderate telescope and a dark, moonless sky.
See Caldwell 66 in Universe Finder
Open the interactive 3D map to fly to Caldwell 66 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