Open Cluster NGC 2324

NGC 2324
NGC 2324: Section of DSS2. Here could be your picture. [147]

History

The open cluster was discovered by William Herschel on 27 December 1786 with his 20 foot Speculum reflector of 18.7-inch aperture. He listed it as VII 38 and noted: «A beautiful cluster of very small stars of several sizes considerably compressed and rich in the middle. 10 or 12' diameter.» [464]

John Herschel listed the cluster as h 427 and made three observations, the first on 20 December 1827 (sweep 113): «Rich large cluster; fills field; stars 14...16 magnitudes; not compressed towards a centre.» [466]

Physical Properties

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 2324
TypeOCL (II2r)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)07h 04m 07.9s
Declination (J2000.0)+01° 02' 41"
Diameter8 arcmin
Visual magnitude8.4 mag
Metric Distance3.800 kpc
Dreyer DescriptionCl, L, Ri, cC, st 12…16
Identification, RemarksWH VII 38; h 427; GC 1484; OCL 542

Finder Chart

The open cluster NGC 2324 can be found in the constellation Monoceros. On 6 January it is in opposition with the Sun and therefore highest in the sky at local midnight.

Monoceros: Open Cluster NGC 2324
Finder Chart Open Cluster NGC 2324
04:19
09:55 | 44.2°
15:31
Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. Times are shown for timezone UTC, Latitude 46.7996°, Longitude 8.23225°, Horizon height 5°, Date 2025-07-31. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 10°

Abell 18
Abell 20
IC 466
Kohoutek 1-11
Messier 50
Rosette Nebula
NGC 2237+
Hubbles variable Nebula
NGC 2261
NGC 2286
Great Bird Cluster
NGC 2301
NGC 2311
Butterfly Nebula
NGC 2346
Sh 2-287

References

  • [147] Aladin Sky Atlas, Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS); aladin.unistra.fr
  • [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; Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke; klima-luft.de/steinicke; 2021-02-17
  • [464] Catalogue of a second thousand of new nebulae and clusters of stars; with a few introductory remarks on the construction of the heavens; William Herschel; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1 January 1789; DOI:10.1098/rstl.1789.0021
  • [466] Observations of nebulæ and clusters of stars, made at Slough, with a twenty-feet reflector, between the years 1825 and 1833; John Frederick William Herschel; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1 January 1833, Pages: 359-505; DOI:10.1098/rstl.1833.0021