C71
Open Cluster in Puppis
About
NGC 2477, the Termite Hole Cluster, is a Puppis cluster of some 300 stars, about 3,600 light-years away and roughly a billion years old. It spans nearly the width of the full Moon.
Imaging tips
- About 18′ across, so 1,350–2,240 mm on APS-C frames it; a 200 mm lens on a tracker gives a wide field around it.
- Bright at magnitude 5.8 and a star cluster, so broadband is the right choice; one wide-field image used 105 two-minute subs, 3.5 hours.
- Best in January, but it barely rises from 50°N, peaking near 1.5°.
Facts
- Size
- 18′
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Coordinates
- RA 7h 52.2m, Dec −38° 32′
- Framing, APS-C
- 1350–2240 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 2060–3440 mm
- Best months
- Jan
- Peak altitude
- 2° from 50°N, 17° from 35°N