| Name | Little Beehive Cluster |
| Designation(s) | M41, NGC 2287, Little Beehive Cluster |
| Object Type(s) | Open Cluster |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier, NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-10-04 05:24:00 |
| Instrument | Seestar S50 f5.0-250mm FL |
| Camera | Built-in SONY IMX462 Sensor |
| Image Details | Total integration time was 4m. Exposures 10s. Darks subtracted, no flats. |
| Description | This is a well known cluster, perhaps recorded by Aristotle [messier.seds.org] visible to the naked eye in dark skies at magnitude 4.65. Messier recorded it as follows: "(January 16, 1765) Cluster of stars below Sirius, near Rho Canis Majoris; this cluster appears nebulous in an ordinary telescope of one foot [FL]; it is nothing more than a cluster of small stars." <--> For me personally, this was the very last unobserved Messier object, completing all 110. The last 6 were all captured between 4 AM and 5:24, which was astronomical dawn. I was sort of sleepy, not having had any coffee, and nearly forgot it. Luckily it was an open cluster so I could capture it in a brief amount of time, though slight nebulosity surrounding the larger blue stars is evident. It's resemblance to a beehive, little or otherwise, escapes me. |
| Catalog Links | |
