EntityQ949979· pop 29· linked from 365 articles

NGC 2546

open cluster in Puppis

Key facts

Right ascension: 08 12 19.7
Declination: −37 ° 39 ′ 40 ″
Distance: A: 3,100 ly (950 pc ), B: 4,700 ly (1,450 pc)
Apparent dimensions v: 41 ′
Radius: 36 ly
Other designations: NGC 2546, Cr 178, Dunlop 563, Lacaille II.4
Constellation: Puppis

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: open cluster
Constellation: Puppis
Distance from Earth: 919
Image: NGC 2546 DSS.jpg

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catalog code: [KPS2012] MWSC 1447
Commons category: NGC 2546
discoverer or inventor: Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
time of discovery or invention: 1751-00-00
apparent magnitude: 6.3
right ascension: 123.0625
declination: -37.5950
radial velocity: 15.7
epoch: J2000.0
metallicity: 0.01
right ascension component of proper motion: -5.35
declination component of proper motion: 3.92

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Encyclopedic overview

NGC 2546 is a pair of independent but overlapping open clusters located in the southern constellation of Puppis. This grouping was discovered by French astronomer Abbe Lacaille in 1751-1752 from South Africa. NGC 2546 is just visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch; the brightest component has an apparent visual magnitude of 6.44. The brighter members are readily resolved with a pair of 10×50 binoculars.

Map showing the location of NGC 2546 Prior to 2020, this cluster had been poorly studied. It was considered rather poor in stars but extensive with a Trumpler class of III 1m. The distribution was found to be elongated in a north–south direction with an angular size of 50′ x 25′. The cluster has an estimated 85 members brighter than visual magnitude 14.5. The age of the cluster was thought to be 3×10 years. Three Ap stars were detected. Cluster member AS Puppis is a candidate mass-losing AGB star.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “NGC 2546” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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