NGC 2281 explained

NGC 2281
Credit:Roberto Mura
Appmag V:5.4
Age:610 million
Names:Cr 116, Mel 51, C0645+411, OCL-446

NGC 2281, also known as the Broken Heart Cluster,[1] is an open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Auriga. It was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel on March 4, 1788, and described as a, "cluster of coarsely scattered pretty [bright] stars, pretty rich". The Trumpler class for NGC 2281 is I3p, indicating a poor (p) but compact (I) grouping with a wide range of brightness (3). It is located at a distance of approximately from the Sun and is 630–661 million years old.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Stoyan, Ronald. Schurig. Stephan. interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas. Cambridge University Press; Oculum-Verlag GmbH. Erlangen. 2014. 978-1-107-50338-0. 920437579.