Messier 41 (also known as M41 or NGC 2287) is an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major. Located approximately four degrees south of Sirius, it forms a roughly equilateral triangle with Sirius and Nu2 Canis Majoris, visible together in binoculars. The cluster spans an area comparable to the size of the full moon and contains about 100 stars, including several red giants and white dwarfs.

Discovery and history

Discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654, M41 may have been observed by Aristotle as early as 325 BC. It is sometimes called the Little Beehive Cluster due to its resemblance to the Beehive Cluster (M44).

Characteristics

The brightest star in M41 is a red giant of spectral type K3 with an apparent magnitude of 6.3 near the cluster's center. The cluster has a diameter of 25–26 light-years (7.7–8.0 pc) and is receding from Earth at 23.3 km/s. Estimates suggest an age of 190 million years, with a predicted lifespan of 500 million years before disintegration.

Observation

Walter Scott Houston noted its appearance in small telescopes:

Many visual observers speak of seeing curved lines of stars in M41. Although they seem inconspicuous on photographs, the curves stand out strongly in my 10-inch [reflecting telescope], and the bright red star near the center of the cluster is prominent.

The prominent red-orange central star, HIP 32406, is a K2-type giant of magnitude 6.9, located ~1,500 light-years away.

Gallery

  • Center 2MASS/NASA
  • M41 in an 8" telescope
  • Sirius and M41 (lower right), M50 (upper left), and NGC 2360 (lower left)
  • M41 finder chart
  • Open cluster M41 taken from a 12-inch Dobson telescope in Viña del Mar
  • Open cluster Messier 41 in Canis Major

See also

External links

  • Messier 41 on WikiSky: , , , , , , , ,