Coalsack Cluster (NGC 4609)
Also known as Coalsack Cluster · NGC 4609
Coalsack Cluster (NGC 4609) is an open star cluster in the constellation Crux, about 4,270 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Crux |
| Position (J2000) | 12h 42m 16s, −62° 59′ |
| Distance | 4,270 light-years (its light set off about 4,270 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 6.9 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 13′ × 13′ (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 | 96 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Coalsack Cluster (NGC 4609) is highest in the sky at midnight in April. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 7° above the horizon; from 50° N it never rises. 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 Crux
Everything in Crux · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits