Astronomy:NGC 2126
| NGC 2126 | |
|---|---|
 Pan-STARRS image of NGC 2126 with annotation | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Auriga[1] |
| Right ascension | 06h 02m 37.9s[2] |
| Declination | 49° 52′ 59″[2] |
| Distance | 4,126 ly (1,265 pc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.2[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 6′[1] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Estimated age | 1.3 to 1.6 Gyr[3] |
| Other designations | NGC 2126, Melotte 39, Collinder 78[4] |
NGC 2126 is a moderately rich[5] open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Auriga.[1] It was discovered on November 12, 1787 by German-British astronomer William Herschel.[6] This conglomeration is positioned around half way between the brighter stars Beta Aurigae and Xi Aurigae. It is a challenge to find in a small telescope, having stars of 13th magnitude and fainter.[7] NGC 2126 has an apparent visual magnitude of 10.2 and spans an angular size of 6 arcminutes.[1] It is located at an estimated distance of 4,126 light-years (1,265 pc).[2]
This cluster has a Trumpler class of III 2 m :b, indicating a fairly disparate set of stars (III), with a moderate range of brightness (2), and a medium number of stars (m). It is of intermediate age,[8] estimated at approximately 1.3 to 1.6 Gyr.[3] The cluster has a King core radius of 3.20 ± 0.68 ly (0.98 ± 0.21 pc) and tidal radius of 23.3 ± 5.2 ly (7.15 ± 1.59 pc).[9] After removing contaminating stars, a 2003 study by A. Gáspár and associates found 103 members within a radius of 8′.[5] As of 2024, a total of 129 stars have been identified that have a membership probability of at least 90%.[10]
In a field around the cluster, six variable stars were discovered by A. Gáspár and associates in 2003. These include two δ Scuti, two long period variables, an Algol variable, and a possible eclipsing binary with a pulsating component.[5] The variable count was increased by 16 in 2009 within a 1° field of view, including four eclipsing systems, at least one W UMa binary, and an RS CVn variable.[11][8] By 2025, data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite indicated there are 25 cluster member variables and 85 field variables within a 9 arcminute radius of NGC 2126.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Finlay, Warren H. (2014), Concise Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series (2nd ed.), Springer Cham, p. 191, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03170-5, ISBN 978-3-319-03169-9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tarricq, Y. (March 2021), "3D kinematics and age distribution of the open cluster population", Astronomy & Astrophysics 647: id. A19, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039388, Bibcode: 2021A&A...647A..19T.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Dileep, Athul (April 2025), "Investigating pulsating variables and eclipsing binaries in NGC 2126 using ground- and space-based photometry, astrometry, spectroscopy, and modelling", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 538 (3): 1747–1772, doi:10.1093/mnras/staf361, Bibcode: 2025MNRAS.538.1747D.
- ↑ "NGC 2126". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=NGC+2126.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gáspár, A. (November 2003), "The first CCD photometric study of the open cluster NGC 2126", Astronomy and Astrophysics 410: 879–885, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031311, Bibcode: 2003A&A...410..879G.
- ↑ Seligman, Courtney, "NGC Objects: NGC 2100 - 2149", Celestial Atlas, https://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc21.htm#2126, retrieved 2026-08-16.
- ↑ O'Meara, Stephen James (2007), Herschel 400 Observing Guide, Cambridge University Press, pp. 22–23, ISBN 978-0-521-85893-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=Nyh9fAC_tpIC&pg=PA22.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chehlaeh, N. (October 2018), "Photometric study and search for variable stars in the intermediate-age open cluster NGC 2126", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 480 (2): 1850–1863, doi:10.1093/mnras/sty1906, Bibcode: 2018MNRAS.480.1850C.
- ↑ Kharchenko, N. V. (2013). "Global survey of star clusters in the Milky Way. II. The catalogue of basic parameters". Astronomy & Astrophysics 558: A53. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322302. Bibcode: 2013A&A...558A..53K.
- ↑ Kos, Janez (2024), "Tidal tails of open clusters", Astronomy and Astrophysics 691: A28, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202449828, Bibcode: 2024A&A...691A..28K.
- ↑ Liu, Shun-Fang (July 2009), "Variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 2126", Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics 9 (7): 791–802, doi:10.1088/1674-4527/9/7/008, Bibcode: 2009RAA.....9..791L.
Further reading
- Chehlaeh, Nareemas (April 2018), "Binarity and Variable Stars in the Open Cluster NGC 2126", Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège, in Proceedings of the First Belgo-Indian Network for Astronomy & Astrophysics (BINA) workshop, November 2016, held in Nainital, India 87: pp. 216–223, Bibcode: 2018BSRSL..87..216C.
- Zhang, X. B. (November 2012), "A Probable Hybrid γ Dor-δ Scuti Variable Discovered in the Open Cluster NGC 2126", The Astronomical Journal 144 (5): id. 141, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/144/5/141, Bibcode: 2012AJ....144..141Z.
- Liu, Nian (June 2012), "V551 Aur, an oEA binary with g-mode pulsations?", Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics 12 (6): 671–677, doi:10.1088/1674-4527/12/6/007, Bibcode: 2012RAA....12..671L.
- "The Galactic Cluster NGC 2126 and NGC 2194", Astrophysical Journal 97: 93, March 1943, doi:10.1086/144501, Bibcode: 1943ApJ....97...93C.
Template:NGC objects:2001-3000
Template:Auriga
Coordinates: 
06h 02m 37.9s, +49° 52′ 59″
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