Open Cluster Messier 41

Messier 41
Messier 41: Section of the STScI Digitized Sky Survey [147]

History

The open star cluster M 41 was already known in ancient times as one of the «cloudy spots» in the night sky and was menteioned in 325 BC by Aritotle. In 1765 Charles Messier entered it as number 41 on his list.

Physical Properties

About 25 bright stars and many weaker ones can be found in the cluster, which has a total of about 100 stars from 7th to 13th magnitude, which extend over an area about the size of the full moon. In the center there is a conspicuous reddish K-type star (HD 49091) with about 6.9 mag, and about 700 times brighter than our sun. Many of the other stars seem to group in curved curves, a property that is also found in M 35 and M 37. The distance to the cluster is 693 pc (2260 light years), making the cluster about 20 light years in diameter. It moves away at around 23 km/s to 26 km/s. [4, 145, 196]

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
Designation NGC 2287
Type OCL (II3m)
Right Ascension (J2000.0) 06h 46m 00.0s
Declination (J2000.0) -20° 45' 24"
Diameter 39 arcmin
Visual magnitude 4.5 mag
Metric Distance 0.693 kpc
Dreyer Description Cl, vL, B, lC, st 8…
Identification, Remarks h 411; GC 1454; M 41; OCL 597; ESO 557-SC14

Finder Chart

The star cluster M 41 is located in the constellation Canis Major, around 4° south of the bright star Sirius. It is best visible from November to February.

Finder Chart Open Cluster Messier 41
Open Cluster Messier 41 in constellation Canis Maior. Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 15°

References