| Open
Cluster
aka NGC 2323, Melotte 58, Collinder 124, Raab 45, OCL 559 RA: 07h03m12.3s Dec: -08°19'28" (Monoceros) Integrated Visual Magnitude: 7.2 Angular Diameter: 16.0' Distance 3000 ly Age: 78 Myrs Minimum requirements to detect: ? under dark skies |
M50 is described in Burnham's as "an attractive group for the small telescope," and as "a fine open cluster, located a little more than a third of the way along a line drawn from Sirius to Procyon." Perhaps the most obvious feature of this cluster is the brightest star, which is quite red. This 7.8 magnitude star is HD 52938, a K3 giant. Another star to look for is the 8.5 magnitude HD 52980, a double with an 11th magnitude companion 6.8" distant.
It has been estimated that M50 contains some 200 stars. I found this beautiful cluster that T. W. Webb called "a brilliant cluster" to be a very pleasing sight in my 18-inch.
The field in an 6-inch f/8
at 50x. North is down and east is to the right.
| Millennium
Star Atlas Vol I Chart 273
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 12 Uranometria 2000 Vol II Chart 273 Herald-Bobroff Astroatlas B-06 C-40 |
