Open Cluster M36
An open cluster in Auriga, also known as the Pinwheel Cluster. Part of a famous trio (with M37, M38) and easily seen with binoculars.
Open cluster in Auriga. Magnitude 6.0.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 63° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 59° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 13 Dec, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
- Your eyes: Visible to the eye only from a dark site, as a hazy knot of stars; lost in city skies.
- 10x50 binoculars: Resolves into dozens of stars.
- A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): Dozens to hundreds of stars at low power.
- A camera: Tiny on camera: it needs 2,000 mm or more of focal length on a tracking mount.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 12′, 39% of the Moon's width (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 6.0. Fainter than Georgetown's faintest stars (4.3) but brighter than Lethem's (6.0).
- Distance: 4,100 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 4,100 years ago.
What it is made of
- Type
- Open Cluster
- Distance
- Approx. 4,100 Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 14 Lightyears diameter
- Young Hot Stars (B-type): Around 60 members, similar to Pleiades but more distant
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More deep-sky objects: Open Cluster M38 · Open Cluster M37 · Open Cluster M35 · Hyades Cluster · Pleiades (M45) · Christmas Tree Cluster & Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)