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Messier 36
Messier 36
Credit: ESO/Dss2, Giuseppe Donatiello
RA 05h 36m 06s Dec +34° 08' 00"
The open cluster M36 (NGC 1960), like other notable objects, was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 in the southern part of the constellation Auriga, together with M37 and M38. It was ignored for a long time and only emerged in 1984. All three clusters were then included by Charles Messier in his catalog only in 1764.
M36 is about 4,100 light years away with a real diameter of about 14. It has about 60 confirmed members, the brightest of which are of magnitude 9 and spectral class B2. The estimated age is about 25 million years.
Messier 36
Messier 36
Credit: ESO/Dss2, Giuseppe Donatiello
RA 05h 36m 06s Dec +34° 08' 00"
The open cluster M36 (NGC 1960), like other notable objects, was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 in the southern part of the constellation Auriga, together with M37 and M38. It was ignored for a long time and only emerged in 1984. All three clusters were then included by Charles Messier in his catalog only in 1764.
M36 is about 4,100 light years away with a real diameter of about 14. It has about 60 confirmed members, the brightest of which are of magnitude 9 and spectral class B2. The estimated age is about 25 million years.