M67 · open cluster

Messier 67

Messier 67 and sometimes called the King Cobra Cluster or the Golden Eye Cluster is an open cluster in the southern, equatorial half of Cancer.

RA08h 51m 20sDec+11° 48' 43"

Image: NOIRLab/ NSF /AURA. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: M67
All designations: M67 · NGC 2682
Object type: Open Cluster
Constellation: Cancer
Best viewing: Winter · Spring

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 08h 51m 20s
Declination (J2000): +11° 48' 43"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

The science

Messier 67 and sometimes called the King Cobra Cluster or the Golden Eye Cluster is an open cluster in the southern, equatorial half of Cancer. It was discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in 1779. Estimates of its age range between 3.2 and 5 billion years. Distance estimates are likewise varied, but typically are 800–900 parsecs (2,600–2,900 ly). Estimates of 855, 840, and 815 pc were established via binary star modelling and infrared color-magnitude diagram fitting.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0