Coalsack Cluster
Star cluster in Crux
🔭 Explore Coalsack Cluster in the 3D map →View Coalsack Cluster images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crux |
| Right ascension | 12h 42m 17s |
| Declination | −63° 00′ |
| Apparent magnitude | 6.9 |
| Apparent size | 5.4′ (arc-minutes) |
| Also known as | C98 · NGC 4609 |
Caldwell 98, popularly known as the Coalsack Cluster, is a star cluster (NGC 4609) in Crux — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 98 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 5.4 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 6.9, it is a rewarding binocular and small-telescope target.
Observing Coalsack Cluster
Coalsack Cluster lies in the constellation Crux and is best placed in the evening sky around March. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. It sits far enough south to be circumpolar from mid-southern latitudes, and never rises for most of the northern hemisphere. It is a comfortable target for binoculars and small telescopes.
See Coalsack Cluster in Universe Finder
Open the interactive 3D map to fly to Coalsack Cluster 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