Messier 41

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title: "Messier 41" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["open-clusters", "canis-major", "messier-objects", "ngc-objects", "orion–cygnus-arm", "astronomical-objects-known-since-antiquity"] description: "Open cluster in the constellation Canis Major" topic_path: "general/open-clusters" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_41" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Open cluster in the constellation Canis Major ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox open cluster"]

Field	Value
name	Messier 41
image	[[File:M41-Open-Cluster-of-Stars.png
caption	Open cluster Messier 41 in Canis Major
epoch	J2000
ra
dec
dist_ly	2,360 ly
dist_pc	725 pc
appmag_v	4.5
size_v	38 arcmin
title	Messier Object 41
work	SEDS
url	http://www.messier.seds.org/m/m041.html
access-date	2024-07-23
radius_ly	12.5 ly
age	200 million yrs
constellation	Canis Major
names	M41, NGC 2287
::

| name = Messier 41 | image = [[File:M41-Open-Cluster-of-Stars.png|300px]] | caption= Open cluster Messier 41 in Canis Major | epoch = J2000 | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 2,360 ly | dist_pc = 725 pc | appmag_v = 4.5 | size_v = 38 arcmin |title=Messier Object 41 |work=SEDS |url=http://www.messier.seds.org/m/m041.html |access-date=2024-07-23 | mass_kg = | mass_msol = | radius_ly = 12.5 ly | v_hb = | age = 200 million yrs | constellation = Canis Major | notes = | names = M41, NGC 2287 Messier 41 (also known as M41 or NGC 2287) is an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major. Located approximately four degrees south of Sirius, it forms a roughly equilateral triangle with Sirius and Nu2 Canis Majoris, visible together in binoculars. The cluster spans an area comparable to the size of the full moon and contains about 100 stars, including several red giants and white dwarfs.

Discovery and history

Discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654, M41 may have been observed by Aristotle as early as 325 BC. It is sometimes called the Little Beehive Cluster due to its resemblance to the Beehive Cluster (M44).

Characteristics

The brightest star in M41 is a red giant of spectral type K3 with an apparent magnitude of 6.3 near the cluster's center. The cluster has a diameter of 25 - and is receding from Earth at 23.3 km/s. Estimates suggest an age of 190 million years, with a predicted lifespan of 500 million years before disintegration.

Observation

Walter Scott Houston noted its appearance in small telescopes: ::quote

Many visual observers speak of seeing curved lines of stars in M41. Although they seem inconspicuous on photographs, the curves stand out strongly in my 10-inch [reflecting telescope], and the bright red star near the center of the cluster is prominent. ::

The prominent red-orange central star, HIP 32406, is a K2-type giant of magnitude 6.9, located ~1,500 light-years away.

Gallery

File:Messier 041 2MASS.jpg|Center 2MASS/NASA File:Messier 41 TLR.jpg|M41 in an 8" telescope File:Sirius Mirzam M41.jpg|Sirius and M41 (lower right), M50 (upper left), and NGC 2360 (lower left) File:M41 star map from Sirius.png|M41 finder chart File:Open Cluster M41 from Viña del Mar.jpg|Open cluster M41 taken from a 12-inch Dobson telescope in Viña del Mar File:M41-noao.jpg|Open cluster Messier 41 in Canis Major

References

References

1. Kambic, Bojan. (2009). "Viewing the Constellations with Binoculars: 250+ Wonderful Sky Objects to See and Explore". Springer.
2. Koester, D. Reimers, D. (1981), "Spectroscopic identification of white dwarfs in Galactic Clusters I. NGC2287 and NGC3532", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 99, L8-11
3. [http://messier.seds.org/more/m041_ari.html M41 possibly recorded by Aristotle]
4. [https://cs.astronomy.com/asy/m/starclusters/492774.aspx The Dog Star and the Little Beehive Cluster]
5. De Laet, Rony. (2011). "The Casual Sky Observer's Guide: Stargazing with Binoculars and Small Telescopes". Springer.
6. "M 41".
7. (2008). "Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky". [[Cambridge University Press]].
8. Houston, Walter Scott. (2005). "Deep-Sky Wonders". [[Sky Publishing Corporation]].
9. Dobbie, P, Day-Jones, A, Williams, K, Casewell, S, Burleigh, M, Lodieu, N, Parker, Q, Baxter, R, (2012), "Further investigation of white dwarfs in the open clusters NGC2287 and NGC3532", [[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]], 423, 2815–2828
10. Harris, G.. (October 1993). "NGC 2287 - an important intermediate-age open cluster". The Astronomical Journal.

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