Open Cluster M37
The richest and arguably finest of the three Messier open clusters in Auriga (with M36 and M38). A beautiful sight in binoculars and small telescopes.
Open cluster in Auriga. Magnitude 5.6.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 64° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 61° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 17 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: Spans about 40% of an APS-C frame at 1,500 mm (field 0.9° × 0.6°); needs a tracking mount.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 24′, 77% of the Moon's width (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 5.6. Fainter than Georgetown's faintest stars (4.3) but brighter than Lethem's (6.0).
- Distance: 4,500 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 4,500 years ago.
What it is made of
- Type
- Open Cluster
- Distance
- Approx. 4,500 Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 25 Lightyears diameter
- Main Sequence Stars (A-type): Hottest stars are A-type
- Red Giants: At least a dozen prominent red giants
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More deep-sky objects: Open Cluster M36 · Open Cluster M38 · Open Cluster M35 · Christmas Tree Cluster & Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) · Hyades Cluster · Pleiades (M45)