H-NGC2527
Open Cluster in Puppis
About
A sparse open cluster in Puppis, about 1,960 light-years away, with an estimated mass near 740 Suns. Its brightest stars are A-type, and a white dwarf has been found among its members. William Herschel found it in 1784, and his son later logged it again as NGC 2520.
Imaging tips
- Framing runs 1,100–1,840 mm on APS-C, or 1,690–2,810 mm on full frame.
- It has no central concentration, and one imager described it as lost against the Milky Way star field.
- One refractor image used nine 1.5-minute RGB exposures, enough to show the cluster as a slightly bluer group among background stars.
- A faint galaxy, ESO 430-201, lies nearby, about 25′ away (approximate).
- Best in January and February, but it peaks near 12° from 50°N, so a southern horizon matters.
Facts
- Size
- 22′
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Coordinates
- RA 8h 5.0m, Dec −28° 7′
- Framing, APS-C
- 1100–1840 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 1690–2810 mm
- Best months
- Jan, Feb
- Peak altitude
- 12° from 50°N, 27° from 35°N