Caldwell 82
Star cluster in Ara · 4,200 light-years
🔭 Explore Caldwell 82 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 82 images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ara |
| Right ascension | 16h 41m 20s |
| Declination | −48° 46′ |
| Object distance | 4,200 light-years |
| Apparent size | 8.1′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 9.9 light-years across |
| Also known as | C82 · NGC 6193 |
Caldwell 82 is a star cluster (NGC 6193) in Ara — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 82 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 8.1 arc-minutes on the sky. It is one of the showpiece objects Sir Patrick Moore chose for his Caldwell list of bright targets the Messier catalogue left out.
Although it appears about 8.1′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 9.9 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Caldwell 82
Caldwell 82 lies in the constellation Ara and is best placed in the evening sky around May. 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.
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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