| NGC 2439 | |
|---|---|
NGC 2439 (taken from Stellarium)
| |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 07h40m 45.0s[1] |
| Declination | −31° 41′ 36″[1] |
| Distance | 3.855 kpc (12.57 kly)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.9[3] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 10″[4] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 82 ± 23 ly (tidal) |
| Other designations | Cr 158, C 0738-315[3] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Puppis |
| See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters | |
NGC 2439 is a sparse[5] open cluster of stars in the constellation Puppis. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 6.9, an angular size of 10 arcminutes, and is visible using a small telescope.[4] This is a young cluster with age estimates in the range of 20–300 million years.[6][7] It has a tidal radius of approximately 82 light years.[2]Nochemically peculiar stars have been found.[6]
Distance estimates to this cluster vary widely.[5] Piskunov and associates (2008) gave an estimate of 3,855 kpc.[2] A value in the range 3–4 kpc means the cluster lies well below the Galactic Plane. It is positioned in a hole in the Milky Way's gas and dust, with the reduced absorption resulting in a lower than expected extinction of 1.27 in visual magnitude. This result raises the question of whether this cluster actually exists.[5] It is positioned along the same line of sight as two groups of B-type supergiant stars. The nearer group is located at a distance of 1.03 kpc, while the second group is at 3.2 kpc.[8]
Media related to NGC 2439 at Wikimedia Commons
