Open cluster · Canis Major

NGC 2362 Tau Canis Majoris Cluster

Also known as: C64

mag 4.18′ across

About

NGC 2362, the Tau Canis Majoris Cluster, is an open cluster of magnitude 4.1 in Canis Major, about 8′ across.

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How to find it

  • NGC 2362 is in the constellation Canis Major.
  • Best evenings: around late 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 55° N.

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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 hazy patch or a knot of faint stars 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

DesignationsNGC 2362, C64
TypeOpen cluster
Magnitude4.1The smaller the number, the brighter.
Apparent size8′the full Moon is 31′ across
ConstellationCanis Major
Right ascension (J2000)07h 18m 41.5s
Declination (J2000)−24° 57′ 15″

More in Canis Major

M41Little Beehive ClusterOpen cluster · mag 4.5NGC 2360Caroline's ClusterOpen cluster · mag 7.2NGC 2367Charlie Brown's Christmas TreeOpen cluster · mag 7.9NGC 2359Thor's HelmetEmission nebula
All NGC objects in Canis Major →Canis Major 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 →