Open Cluster NGC 2489

NGC 2489
NGC 2489: Section of DECam Plane Survey (DECaPS) DR2. Here could be your picture. [147]

History

This open cluster was discovered by William Herschel on 30 December 1785. He listed it as VII 23 and noted: «A compressed cluster of pretty large stars, considerably rich.» [464]

James Dunlop observed the cluster on 28 May 1826 from Parramatta (NSW) in Australia using his 9-inch reflector. He listed it as Δ 626 with the notes: «A cluster of small stars, of an irregular round figure, with faint nebula, easily resolvable. The 257 Argûs is following.» [50]

John Herschel observed the cluster from England (h 479) and the Cape of Good Hope (h 3107). On 22 Jan 1835 (sweep 531) he recorded «A round, pretty compressed cluster of stars 11..13th mag; 6th or 7th class; gradually brighter in the middle, pretty rich, 7' diameter.» [11]

Physical Properties

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 2489
TypeOCL (II2m)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)07h 56m 15.9s
Declination (J2000.0)-30° 03' 51"
Diameter5 arcmin
Visual magnitude7.9 mag
Metric Distance3.700 kpc
Dreyer DescriptionCl, pL, eRi, pC, st 11…13
Identification, RemarksWH VII 23; h 479=3107; GC 1601; OCL 690; ESO 430-SC3

Finder Chart

The open cluster NGC 2489 is located in the constellation Puppis. On 18 January it in opposition with the Sun and is therefore highest in the sky at local midnight.

Puppis: Open Cluster NGC 2489
Finder Chart Open Cluster NGC 2489
07:53
10:35 | 13.1°
13:17
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 2025-08-03. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 15°

Abell 23
Abell 26
Abell 29
Collinder 121
Kohoutek 1-1
Messier 93
Minkowski 3-4
NGC 2354
Tau Canis Majoris Cluster
NGC 2362
NGC 2421
Insect Nebula
NGC 2440
NGC 2467
NGC 2477
NGC 2479
NGC 2482
NGC 2613

References

  • [11] Results of astronomical observations made during the years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8, at the Cape of Good Hope ... : being the completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825; Herschel, John F. W.; London: published by Smith, Elder and Co., 1847; DOI:10.3931/e-rara-22242
  • [50] VIII. A catalogue of nebulæ and clusters of stars in the southern hemisphere, observed at Paramatta in New South Wales, by James Dunlop, Esq. In a letter addressed to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Bart. K. C. B. late Governor of New South Wales. Presented to the Royal Society by John Frederick William Herschel, Esq. Vice President; James Dunlop; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Volume 118, pages 113-151, published 1 January 1828; DOI:10.1098/rstl.1828.0010
  • [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