| Home > Star Clusters > Open > M36 |
M36
Messier 36
NGC 1960
Pinwheel
Open Star Cluster
| Right Ascension | 5h 36m 18s | Best Seen | 12/01 - 05/15 |
| Declination | 34° 08' 24" | Magnitude | 6.3 |
| Constellation | Auriga | ||
Actual |
Compared to Sun |
|
| Distance | ~4,340 ly | -- |
| Diameter | ~ 8 ly | -- |
| Number of Stars | ~ 100 | 1 |
| Actual Brightness | -- | -- |
| Age | 25 million years | 5 billion |
| Integrated Spectral Type | -- | G2 V |
| Density (gram/cubic cm) | -- | -- |
What To Look For Through The Telescope
-
Recommended eyepiece: 40mm or 80mm.
-
Through the telescope the cluster will appears as a group of individual stars; much like sugar or salt sprinkled on a table top.
M36 Information
-
It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654, who described it as a nebulous patch.
-
The cluster was independently re-discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749, then Charles Messier observed it in 1764 and added it to his catalogue.
-
M36 is at a distance of about 1,330 pc (4,340 light years) away from Earth.
-
The cluster is very similar to the Pleiades cluster (M45), and if it were the same distance from Earth it would be of similar magnitude. However, it is one of the most distant open clusters catalogued by Messier and about 10 times as far away as the Pleiades.
| Home > Star Clusters > Open > M36 > Reference | top |
References
| Item | Updated | Notes |
| Other Information | 2018-12-11 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_36 https://www.messier-objects.com/messier-36-pinwheel-cluster |