About NGC 2287 (M41)

NGC 2287 is frequently observed by amateur astronomers and appears as a soft glow. It is relatively bright.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 34° altitude and reaches 69° around 06:30 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 8 hours.

Observing conditions matter, subtle features are easily lost in bright skies.

Observing tips

This makes it a good target for beginners.

What to expect

At higher magnification, subtle detail can be detected.

It appears more compact than typical clusters.

Type

Open Cluster

Constellation

Canis Major

Distance

2300 ly

Size

30.0'

Season

Winter

Difficulty

Easy

Magnitude

4.6