CHAMÄLEON + ONJALA OBSERVATORY DeepSky SITEMAP
HOME CHAMÄLEON
 
« back to overview Star Clusters Load higher resolution (1800 x 1200 Pixel – 3000 x 2000 Pixel) Object description
Messier 50 in the constellaion Unicorn
 

 
Description of object:

Messier 50 (NGC 2323) is a bright open star cluster of nearly 6th magnitude with an apparent diameter of 16 arc minutes in the constellation of Unicorn. Its distance from the solar system is about 3,200 light years, and its total mass is estimated to be about 1,000 solar masses.

It contains about 500 stars of the 12th to 16th magnitude class, it is assigned to the Trumpler classification II 3 m. With an estimated age of only 100 million years it is one of the younger star clusters in our galaxy.

Messier 50 was discovered in 1711 by the French astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. On April 5, 1772, Charles Messier observed this open star cluster and added it to his catalogue.
 
top of page

Sun Moon Solar System DeepSky Widefield Miscellaneous Spec. Projects