Open cluster · Auriga
M36 Pinwheel Cluster
Also known as: NGC 1960
mag 6.012′ across
About
M36, the Pinwheel Cluster, is an open cluster of magnitude 6.0 in Auriga, about 12′ across.
How to find it
- M36 is in the constellation Auriga.
- Best evenings: around late January it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 46° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesA faint smudge at the limit of vision, only from a dark site.
- Binoculars (10×50)A small knot of stars, partly resolved.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Dozens of stars, many sharp and some coloured.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | M36, NGC 1960 |
|---|---|
| Type | Open cluster |
| Magnitude | 6.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 12′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Constellation | Auriga |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 36m 17.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +34° 08′ 27″ |
More in Auriga
M37Open clustermag 5.6
M38Starfish ClusterOpen cluster · mag 6.4
IC 405Flaming Star NebulaEmission nebula · mag 10.0
NGC 2281Broken Heart ClusterOpen cluster · mag 5.4
NGC 1893Letter Y ClusterOpen cluster · mag 7.5
NGC 16644-H clusterOpen cluster · mag 7.6
NGC 1931The Fly NebulaCluster with nebula · mag 10.1
IC 410The TadpolesEmission nebulaSources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →