Messier 41 lies south of the bright star Sirius and covers an area nearly the size of the moon. I credit this wintertime cluster for inspiring my life-long love of astronomy. Learn why.
Category Archives: Star Clusters
NGC 2232: A Bright Star Cluster at Home in the Gould Belt
NGC 2232 is an open star cluster that lies in the dim reaches of the constellation of Monoceros. Not to be overlooked, this cluster is attractive in the eyepiece and is part of the fascinating Gould Belt.
NGC 2244: A Star Cluster in a Rose
NGC 2244 is a bright and noteworthy cluster at the center of the Rosette Nebula. Backyard astronomers will appreciate the cluster is viewable with binoculars and small telescopes.
Messier 34 (NGC 1039): A Robust Cluster with Attractive Pairs of Stars
Messier 34 is a treasure chest of 80-100 viewable stars in the winter constellation Perseus.
NGC 6866: One of Caroline’s Bright Clusters in Cygnus
NGC 6866 is a rich cluster with close to 100 stars, making it a good target for backyard astronomers. Caroline Hershel discovered the cluster in the summer of 1783.
Messier 73 (NGC 6994): A Pattern of Four Stars Once Mired in Debate
This small pattern of four stars created substantial debate for years, but now we know it’s a simple asterism that looks like a spaceship from Asteroids!
Messier 103 (NGC 581): A Star Cluster Far Far Away
Say hello to one of the most remote open star clusters in the Messier catalog.
Messier 16 (NGC 6611): The Eagle Nebula
As summertime begins in the northern hemisphere, Messier 16 (also known as the Eagle Nebula or Star Queen Nebula) comes on the scene. The popular Eagle Nebula s a diffuse emission nebula located in the constellation Serpens.
The Garden Astronomer 