Open Cluster NGC 2266

NGC 2266
NGC 2266: Open cluster in Gemini; 500 mm Cassegrain f=3625mm / f7.2; SBIG STL11K; 160+3*40 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2015 Radek Chromik [32]

History

The open star cluster NGC 2266 was discovered on 7 December 1785 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel with its 18.7 inch reflector. [277]

Physical Properties

The cluster is of the Trumpler type II2m, measures about 7 arc minutes in diameter and has an apparent magnitude of 10. [277]

Also known as Melotte 50, NGC 2266 is a small, compact star cluster made up of more than 190 stars, most of them main sequence stars, and a clump of 11 red giants. Its age is estimated at 1.2 billion years, about the age of the Hyades or Praesepe. It is about 11.3 kpc from the galactic center, 600 pc above the galactic plane and 2.80 ± 0.15 kpc from us. [381, 382, 383]

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
Designation NGC 2266
Type OCL (II2m)
Right Ascension (J2000.0) 06h 43m 19.2s
Declination (J2000.0) +26° 58' 10"
Diameter 5 arcmin
Visual magnitude 9.5 mag
Metric Distance 3.040 kpc
Dreyer Description Cl, pS, eC, Ri, st 11…15
Identification, Remarks OCL 471

Finder Chart

The open star cluster NGC 2266 is located in the constellation of Gemini. The best viewing time is October to April.

Finder Chart Open Cluster NGC 2266
Open Cluster NGC 2266 in constellation Gemini. 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

400 mm aperture: It's a pretty unspectacular open cluster with three brighter stars in a row. — Taurus T400 f/4.5 Dobsonian, Bernd Nies, Glaubenberg Langis, 28 February 2022

More Objects Nearby (±15°)

References

  • [32] Astrofotografie by Radek, Bernie and Dragan; sternwarte.ch
  • [149] SkySafari 6 Pro, Simulation Curriculum; skysafariastronomy.com
  • [160] The STScI Digitized Sky Survey; archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
  • [277] «Historische Deep-Sky Kataloge» von Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke; klima-luft.de/steinicke (2021-02-17)
  • [381] «Comprehensive abundance analysis of red giants in the open clusters NGC 2527, 2682, 2482, 2539, 2335, 2251 and 2266» Arumalla B. S. Reddy, Sunetra Giridhar, David L. Lambert; Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 431, Issue 4, 1 June 2013, Pages 3338–3348; DOI:10.1093/mnras/stt412
  • [382] «Photometric Study of Open Clusters NGC 2266 and NGC 7762» Maciejewski, G. ; Boeva, S. ; Georgiev, Ts. search by orcid ; Mihov, B. ; Ovcharov, E. ; Valcheva, A. ; Niedzielski, A.; Baltic Astronomy, Vol. 17, p. 51-65, 2008; Bibcode:2008BaltA..17...51M
  • [383] «The Hyades age anticenter cluster NGC 2266» Kaluzny, Janusz ; Mazur, Beata; Acta Astron., Vol. 41, p. 191-212 (1991); Bibcode:1991AcA....41..191K