File:M36-pinwheel-cluster.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Messier 36
Sign in to saveAlso known as M36, New General Catalogue 1960, Open Cluster M36, Messier Object 36
open cluster in the constellation Auriga
Messier 36 is a collection of young stars clustered together in the constellation Auriga, located about 4,000 light-years from Earth. Astronomers study open clusters like this one to better understand how stars form and evolve together over time.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Right ascension
- 05 36 18.0
- Declination
- +34 ° 08 ′ 24 ″
- Distance
- 4.34 ± 0.87 kly (1.330 ± 0.266 kpc )
- Apparent dimensions v
- 12'
- Mass
- 746 +606, −334 M ☉ M ☉
- Radius
- 7 ly
- Estimated age
- 25.1 Myr
- Other designations
- C 0532+341, M 36, NGC 1960, OCl 445
- Constellation
- Auriga
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Distance from Earth
- 1318
- Radius
- 7
- Image
- M036.jpg
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- Messier 36
- catalog code
- [KPS2012] MWSC 0594
- declination component of proper motion
- -3.96
- Commons gallery
- Messier 36
- right ascension component of proper motion
- 0.99
- time of discovery or invention
- 1654-00-00
- apparent magnitude
- 6.0
- spectral class
- I
- radial velocity
- -1.2
- right ascension
- 84.0750
- declination
- 34.1400
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
Messier 36 or M36, also known as NGC 1960 or the Pinwheel Cluster, is an open cluster of stars in the somewhat northern Auriga constellation. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654, who described it as a nebulous patch. The cluster was independently re-discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749, then Charles Messier observed it in 1764 and added it to his catalogue. It is about 1,330 pc (4,340 light years) away from Earth. The cluster is very similar to the Pleiades cluster (M45), and if as far away it would be of similar apparent magnitude.
This cluster has an angular diameter of 10′ and a core radius of 3.2′. It has a mass of roughly 746 M☉ and a linear tidal radius of 10.6 ± 1.6 parsecs (34.6 ± 5.2 ly). Based upon photometry, the age of the cluster has been estimated by Wu et al. (2009) as 25.1 Myr and 26.3+3.2 −5.2 Myr by Bell et al. (2013). The luminosity of the stars that have not yet depleted their lithium implies an age of 22±4 Myr, in good agreement with these older estimates.