NGC 2509 | |
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DSS image of NGC 2509 | |
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Right ascension | 08 00 48 |
Declination | −19° 03′ 06″ |
Distance | 9,500 ly (2,900 pc) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.3 |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 2.5 ± 0.5′ |
Physical characteristics | |
Estimated age | 1,200 Myr |
Other designations | NGC 2509, Cr 171, Mel 81, OCl 630 |
Associations | |
Constellation | Puppis |
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters |
NGC 2509 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It was discovered on 3 December 1783 by William Herschel. It was described as "bright, pretty rich, slightly compressed" by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue.
The cluster is about 14 light-years (4.2 parsecs) wide, but the cluster's other parameters remain poorly known. Some studies have estimated a distance of about 9,500 light-years (2,900 parsecs) away from the Solar System, while older estimates put it at only 2980 light-years (912 parsecs) away. Estimates of the cluster's age have also varied significantly, from 1.2 billion years old to 8 billion years old. The latest analysis based on the parallaxes measured by the Gaia spacecraft confirms that it is a relatively distant object, with a distance between 2500 and 3000 parsecs.
References
- ^ Carraro, G.; Costa, E. (2007). "Photometry of the five marginally studied open clusters Collinder 74, Berkeley 27, Haffner 8, NGC 2509, and VdB-Hagen 4". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 464 (2): 573. arXiv:astro-ph/0611705. Bibcode:2007A&A...464..573C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066350. S2CID 1419651.
- ^ "NGC 2509". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 2500 - 2549". cseligman.com. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ Sujatha, S.; Babu, G. S. D. (2003). "Study of open cluster NGC 2509". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India. 31: 9–18. Bibcode:2003BASI...31....9S.
- Cantat-Gaudin, T.; Jordi, C.; Vallenari, A.; et al. (2018). "A Gaia DR2 view of the open cluster population in the Milky Way". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 618: A93. arXiv:1805.08726. Bibcode:2018A&A...618A..93C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833476. S2CID 56245426.
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