C54
Open Cluster in Monoceros
About
NGC 2506, an open cluster in Monoceros about 12,700 light-years away, also listed as Melotte 80 and Collinder 170. It is roughly 2 billion years old, and it is metal-poor compared with the Sun.
Imaging tips
- About 12′ across, so it fits a wide range of lengths: 2240–3740 mm on APS-C or 3440–5730 mm on full frame.
- Broadband colour suits a star cluster; one Bortle 8 backyard image used L, R, G and B sets of 60 exposures each.
- Best in January and February; it stays below 29° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 10.8′
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Coordinates
- RA 8h 0.1m, Dec −10° 46′
- Framing, APS-C
- 2240–3740 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 3440–5730 mm
- Best months
- Jan, Feb
- Peak altitude
- 29° from 50°N, 44° from 35°N