M41 — Little Beehive Cluster
Open Cluster in Canis Major
About
The Little Beehive Cluster, an open cluster in Canis Major about 2,360 light-years away and around 200 million years old. Its brightest member is a K-type red giant near the centre.
Imaging tips
- About 38′ across: 640–1,060 mm on APS-C frames it with room around it; it sits roughly 4° south of Sirius, which helps with finding it.
- Stars alone look plain in RGB. One imager added Hα over 25 hours of 10-minute frames and found faint gas behind and around the cluster.
- Another imager reached nearly 29 hours with Hα on a 150 mm f/4 scope, so the nebulosity rewards deep integration.
- Low for northern observers (below 19° altitude from 50°N). Best in December and January.
Facts
- Size
- 38′
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Coordinates
- RA 6h 46.0m, Dec −20° 43′
- Framing, APS-C
- 640–1060 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 980–1630 mm
- Best months
- Jan, Dec
- Peak altitude
- 19° from 50°N, 34° from 35°N