Open cluster · Monoceros

M50

Also known as: NGC 2323

mag 5.916′ across

About

M50 is an open cluster of magnitude 5.9 in Monoceros, about 16′ across.

Read more on Wikipedia →

How to find it

  • M50 is in the constellation Monoceros.
  • Best evenings: around mid-February 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 south of 72° N.
  • Winter Triangle: An open cluster about a third of the way from Sirius to Procyon; binoculars.

Show on sky map →

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

DesignationsM50, NGC 2323
TypeOpen cluster
Magnitude5.9The smaller the number, the brighter.
Apparent size16′the full Moon is 31′ across
ConstellationMonoceros
Right ascension (J2000)07h 02m 40.5s
Declination (J2000)−08° 21′ 50″

More in Monoceros

NGC 2244Open clustermag 4.8NGC 2238Rosette NebulaEmission nebula · mag 6.0NGC 2506Open clustermag 7.6NGC 2261Hubble's Variable NebulaReflection nebula · mag 11.9NGC 2264Christmas Tree ClusterCluster with nebula · mag 3.9NGC 2232Double Wedge ClusterOpen cluster · mag 3.9NGC 2301Hagrid's Dragon ClusterOpen cluster · mag 6.0NGC 2343Doublemint ClusterOpen cluster · mag 6.7
All NGC objects in Monoceros →Monoceros on the constellations page →

Sources 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 →