Deep space
Salt and Pepper Cluster
Open cluster · M37 · NGC 2099
Open cluster in Auriga
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 37 is the brightest and richest open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654. M37 was missed by French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil when he rediscovered M36 and M38 in 1749. French astronomer Charles Messier independently rediscovered M37 in September 1764 but all three of these clusters were recorded by Hodierna. It is classified as Trumpler type I,1,r or I,2,r.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~4,510 light-years
Apparent mag.
+6.2
Apparent size
24′
Best seen with
Naked eye (dark sky)
Catalogue
M37 · NGC 2099
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 37 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 2099.
- Found in the constellation Auriga.
- Visible to the naked eye from a dark, moonless site.
