Open Cluster Messier 93

Messier 93: Section of the STScI Digitized Sky Survey [147]

History

Charles Messier discovered his number 93 on 20th March 1781 and noted: "A cluster of small stars, without nebula, between the big dog and the bow of the ship." [281]

Physical Properties

M 93 is an open cluster of the Trumpler type IV1p and contains about one hundred stars, spread over an area of about 22 arc minutes. At an estimated distance of around 3600 light years, it must be around 20 to 25 light years long. The brightest stars in the main sequence in the cluster are of the spectral type B9, which suggests that the cluster is about 100 million years old. [196]

Revised+Historic NGC/IC, Version 22/9, © Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 2447
TypeOCL (IV1p)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)07h 44m 30.0s
Declination (J2000.0)-23° 51' 24"
Diameter10 arcmin
Visual magnitude6.2 mag
Metric Distance1.037 kpc
Dreyer DescriptionCl, L, pRi, lC, st 8…13
Identification, RemarksM 93, OCL 649, ESO 493-SC7

Finder Chart

The open star cluster is located in the constellation Puppis about 1.5 degrees northwest of the 3.3 mag bright star Asmidiske (ξ Puppis). The best time to observe is around January, when the constellation is highest above the southern horizon at night.

Finder Chart Open Cluster Messier 93
Open Cluster Messier 93 in constellation Puppis. 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]

Visual Observation

Description pending ...

More Objects Nearby (±15°)

References