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M50

NGC 2323

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberM50
NGC/IC NumberNGC 2323
ConstellationMonoceros
Right Ascension7h 2m 48s
Declination-8° 20' 16"
Distancec.3,000 light years
c.900 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +7.2
Absolute: -2.6
DiameterApparent: 15'
Actual: 100 light years
Number of Starsc. 80
Optimum VisibilityJanuary
NotesThis open cluster contains about eighty stars in its central regions, though including those in its outlying regions perhaps as many as two hundred belong to the cluster altogether. It lies in the faint constellation of Monoceros, on a line between the bright stars Sirius and Procyon in the sky.

A galactic star cluster in the southern parts of Monoceros, a little to the north and east of the bright star Sirius. M50 itself is nearly 3,000 light years from Earth, and is marginally too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

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