Astronomy:NGC 2509

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NGC 2509
DSS image of NGC 2509
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationPuppis[1]
Right ascension 08h 00m 48s[2]
Declination−19° 03′ 06″[2]
Distance9,500 ly (2,900 pc)[2]
Apparent magnitude (V)9.3[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)12′[1]
Physical characteristics
Estimated age1,200 Myr[2]
Other designationsNGC 2509, Cr 171, Mel 81, OCl 630[3]
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

NGC 2509 is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Puppis.[1] It was discovered on 3 December 1783 by William Herschel.[4] It was described as "bright, pretty rich, slightly compressed" by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue.[4]

The cluster is about 14 light-years (4.2 parsecs) wide,[2] 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,[2] while older estimates put it at only 2980 light-years (912 parsecs) away.[5] Estimates of the cluster's age have also varied significantly, from 1.2 billion years old[2] to 8 billion years old.[5] 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.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Finlay, Warren H. (2014). Concise Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects. The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series (2nd ed.). Springer Cham. p. 212. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03170-5. ISBN 978-3-319-03169-9. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 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. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066350. Bibcode: 2007A&A...464..573C. 
  3. ↑ "NGC 2509". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=NGC+2509. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 2500 - 2549". http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc25.htm#2509. Retrieved 9 August 2017. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 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. 
  6. ↑ Cantat-Gaudin, T.Expression error: Unrecognized word "et". (2018). "A Gaia DR2 view of the open cluster population in the Milky Way". Astronomy & Astrophysics 618: A93. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833476. Bibcode: 2018A&A...618A..93C.