M47 - NGC 2422

Messier 47 (NGC 2422) is a bright, sparse open cluster in the constellation Puppis, located approximately 1,600 light-years from Earth. It contains roughly 50 stars within a diameter of about 12 light-years and shines at a combined apparent magnitude of about 4.4, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies. The cluster is estimated to be about 78 million years old and is dominated by several bright blue-white B-type stars, with the brightest member shining at about magnitude 5.7. M47 has an interesting historical footnote: Messier's original catalog position contained an error in the sign of the declination, and for nearly two centuries M47 was considered a "missing" Messier object until Canadian astronomer T.F. Morris identified it in 1959 by correcting Messier's positional error. The cluster was actually first discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654, well before Messier observed it in 1771. M47 is best appreciated as a companion to the nearby M46, which lies just 1.5 degrees to the east. The two clusters provide a beautiful study in contrasts: M47 is bright, coarse, and loosely scattered with prominent individual stars, while M46 is faint, rich, and densely packed with hundreds of dimmer stars. Through binoculars, M47 is a sparkling collection of bright stars easily distinguished from the background, with a prominent pair of nearly equal-magnitude stars near its center that catches the eye. A small telescope shows the full membership nicely against the rich Puppis Milky Way fields. The cluster's relatively small size of about 30 arcminutes keeps it compact enough to frame well at moderate magnification.

Contains about 50 stars within 12 light-years at a distance of 1,600 light-years, with a young age of approximately 78 million years.