NGC 2516
Open cluster in the constellation Carina
title: "NGC 2516" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ngc-objects", "open-clusters", "carina-(constellation)", "caldwell-objects"] description: "Open cluster in the constellation Carina" topic_path: "general/ngc-objects" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2516" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Open cluster in the constellation Carina ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox open cluster|"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | NGC 2516 |
| image | [[File:NGC 2516.jpg |
| caption | NGC 2516 |
| constellation | Carina |
| epoch | J2000.0 |
| ra | |
| dec | |
| dist_ly | 1.3 kly |
| appmag_v | 3.8 |
| size_v | 30.0 |
| mass_msol | 105 to 106 |
| names | NGC 2516, Caldwell 96, Cr 172 |
| :: |
| name = NGC 2516 | image = [[File:NGC 2516.jpg|250px]] | caption = NGC 2516 | constellation = Carina | epoch = J2000.0 | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 1.3 kly | dist_pc = | appmag_v = 3.8 | size_v = 30.0 | mass_kg = | mass_msol = 105 to 106 | radius_ly = | age = | notes = | names = NGC 2516, Caldwell 96, Cr 172 NGC 2516 (also known as Caldwell 96) is an open star cluster in the southern sky in the constellation Carina discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751-1752.{{cite journal | title=The search for the nebulae - VI | last=Jones | first=K. G. | journal=Journal of the British Astronomical Association | volume=79 | pages=213–222 | date=March 1969 | bibcode=1969JBAA...79..213J
Description
This bright cluster itself is easily visible with the naked eye as a hazy patch, but is resolvable into stars using binoculars. It contains two 5th magnitude red giant stars and three main visual double stars: HJ 4027, HJ 4031 and I 29. A small telescope would be required to split the double stars, which are all pairs of 8-9 magnitude and 1-10 arcseconds separation.
NGC 2516 and the recently discovered nearby star cluster Mamajek 2 in Ophiuchus have similar age and metallicity. Recently, kinematic evidence was presented by E. Jilinski and coauthors that suggests that these two stellar groups may have formed in the same star-forming complex some 135 million years ago.
The cluster is surrounded by the 500-parsec diameter halo consisting of stars ejected from cluster.
References
Bibliography
- Burnham, Robert. Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Dover, 1978. .
References
- Weule, Genelle. (2010). "Beginner's Guide to the Night Sky : Summer Sky Tour". abc.com.
- Ventrudo, Brian. (2009). "ESA's 'The "Southern Beehive" Cluster". americaspace.com.
- Papadopoulos, Leonidas. (2014). "ESA's 'Mission: Impossible' Sees First Light: Gaia Opens Her Eyes to the Galaxy « AmericaSpace". americaspace.com.
- ''Imaging the Southern Sky : An Amateur Astronomer's Guide'' Chadwick, S., Cooper, I., pg.viii, Pub. Springer (2012)
- Robert Burnham Jr.. (1978). "Burnham's Celestial Handbook".
- Jilinski, E.. (2009). "Dynamical Evolution and Spectral Characteristics of the Stellar Group Mamajek 2". Astrophysical Journal.
- (2021). "Rotation and Lithium Confirmation of a 500 pc Halo for the Open Cluster NGC 2516". The Astronomical Journal.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::