Caroline's Cluster (NGC 2360)
Also known as Caroline's Cluster · NGC 2360
Caroline's Cluster (NGC 2360) is an open star cluster in the constellation Canis Major, about 3,660 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Position (J2000) | 7h 17m 43s, −15° 38′ |
| Distance | 3,660 light-years (its light set off about 3,660 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 7.2 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 18.5′ × 18.5′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 218 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Caroline's Cluster (NGC 2360) is highest in the sky at midnight in January. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 54° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 24°. To see it you need binoculars.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Canis Major
Everything in Canis Major · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits