M41 is well placed

Wednesday 2nd Jan 201902:00

Across much of the world the open star cluster M41 (NGC 2287) in Canis Major will be well placed for observation. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time.

At a declination of -20°45', it is easiest to see from the southern hemisphere but cannot be seen from latitudes much north of 49°N.

From London, it will not be readily observable since it will lie so far south that it will never rise more than 17° above the horizon.

At magnitude 4.5, M41 is too faint to be seen with the naked eye from any but the very darkest sites, but is visible through a pair of binoculars or small telescope.

The position of M41 is as follows:

Object Right Ascension Declination Constellation Magnitude Angular Size
M41 06h45m50s -20°45' Canis Major 4.5 38'00"

The coordinates above are given in J2000.0.

This entry in the observing calendar was provided by In-The-Sky.org

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