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Messier 47

File:M47-Star-Cluster.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Messier 47

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Also known as M47

Open cluster in the constellation Puppis

AI overview

Messier 47 is a group of young stars located in the constellation Puppis that can be seen through a telescope. Astronomers study open clusters like this one to better understand how stars form and evolve together.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Right ascension
07 36.6
Declination
−14 ° 30 ′
Distance
498 pc
Apparent dimensions v
30 ′
Mass
453 M ☉
Radius
10.61 pc
Estimated age
78 million years
Other designations
NGC 2422, NGC 2478, Cr 152

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Distance from Earth
1600
Radius
6
Image
Messier 047 2MASS.jpg
Show 13 more facts
catalog code
[KPS2012] MWSC 1278
Commons category
Messier 47
declination component of proper motion
0.9592
Commons gallery
Messier 47
time of discovery or invention
1654-00-00
radial velocity
34.3
apparent magnitude
4.42
spectral class
II
right ascension
114.1458
declination
-14.4833
parallax
2.0690
metallicity
0.09
right ascension component of proper motion
-7.020
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~1 min read

Article

Messier 47 (M47 or NGC 2422), also known as NGC 2478 is an open cluster in the southern constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and re-discovered by Charles Messier in 1771. It was also independently discovered by Caroline Herschel.

There is no cluster in the position indicated by Messier, which he expressed in terms of its right ascension and declination with respect to the star 2 Puppis. However, if the signs (+ and −) that he wrote are swapped, the position matches. Until that equivalency was found, M47 was considered a lost Messier Object. The identification was made in 1959 by Canadian astronomer T. F. Morris.

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