List of open clusters

The open cluster Messier 6 in the constellation Scorpius is also known as the Butterfly Cluster or NGC 6405

This is a list of open clusters located in the Milky Way. An open cluster is an association of up to a few thousand stars that all formed from the same giant molecular cloud. There are over 1,000 known open clusters in the Milky Way galaxy, but the actual total may be up to ten times higher.[1] The estimated half-lives of clusters, after which half the original cluster members will have been lost, range from 150 million to 800 million years, depending on the original density.[2]

Cluster
identifier 		Constellation Distance
(parsecs) 		Age
(Myr) 		Diameter Apparent
magnitude 		Notes
Epoch J2000
R. A. Dec.
Hyades 04h 26.9m +15° 52′ Taurus 47 625 330' 0.5 [3]
Coma Star Cluster 12h 22.5m +25° 51′ Coma Berenices 86 400-500 120' 1.8 [4]
Trapezium Cluster 5h 35.4m −05° 27′ Orion 412 0.3 0.783' 4.0 [5]
Messier 6, Butterfly Cluster 17h 40.1m −32° 13′ Scorpius 487 94 20' 4.2 [1]
Messier 7 17h 53.8m −34° 47′ Scorpius 280 224 80' 3.3 [6][7]
Messier 11, Wild Duck Cluster 18h 51.1m −06° 16′ Scutum 1,900 250 13' 5.8 [1][7][8]
Messier 16, Eagle Nebula 18h 18.8m −13° 49′ Serpens 1,800 1.3 6' 6.0 [1]
Messier 18 18h 20.0m −17° 06′ Sagittarius 1,296 17 5' 6.9 [1]
Messier 21 18h 04.2m −22° 29′ Sagittarius 1,205 12 14' 5.9 [1]
Messier 23 17h 57.0m −18° 59′ Sagittarius 628 300 30' 5.5 [1][7]
Messier 24 18h 17.0m −18° 29′ Sagittarius 3,070 220 90' 2.5 [1][7]
Messier 25 18h 31.7m −19° 07′ Sagittarius 620 92 30' 4.6 [1]
Messier 26 18h 45.3m −09° 23′ Scutum 1,600 85 7' 8.0 [1]
Messier 34 02h 42.1m +42° 46′ Perseus 499 180 36' 5.2 [1][7]
Messier 35 06h 09.1m +24° 21′ Gemini 912 180 25' 5.0 [9]
Messier 36 05h 36.2m +34° 08′ Auriga 1,330 25 10' 6.0 [1]
Messier 37 05h 52.3m +32° 33′ Auriga 1,400 347 14' 5.6 [1]
Messier 38 05h 28.7m +35° 51′ Auriga 1,400 316 20' 6.4 [1]
Messier 39 21h 31.8m +48° 27′ Cygnus 311 280 30' 4.6 [1][6]
Messier 41 06h 46.0m −20° 46′ Canis Major 710 240 40' 4.5 [1][7]
Messier 44, Beehive Cluster 08h 40.4m +19° 41′ Cancer 187 830 70' 3.1 [10][11]
Messier 45, Pleiades 03h 47.4m +24° 07′ Taurus 136 125 120' 1.2 [12]
Messier 46 07h 41.7m −14° 49′ Puppis 1,510 250 20' 6.1 [1]
Messier 47 07h 36.6m −14° 30′ Puppis 490 73 25' 4.4 [1]
Messier 48 08h 13.7m −05° 45′ Hydra 770 400 30' 5.8 [1]
Messier 50 07h 02.6m −08° 23′ Monoceros 1,000 130 14' 5.9 [9]
Messier 52 23h 24.8m +61° 35′ Cassiopeia 1,400 160 15 6.9 [1]
Messier 67 08h 51.3m +11° 48′ Cancer 908 4,000 25' 6.9 [1][7]
Messier 93 07h 44.6m −23° 52′ Puppis 1037 390 10' 6.2 [1]
Messier 103 01h 33.4m +60° 39′ Cassiopeia 3,000 16 5' 7.4 [13]
IC 2602, Southern Pleiades 10h 43.2m −64° 24′ Carina 167 30 100' 1.9 [14]
IC 2391, Omicron Velorum Cluster 08h 40.6m −53° 02′ Vela 176 30 60' 2.5 [14]
NGC 2451 A 07h 45.4m −37° 58′ Puppis 189 50 45' 2.8 [6][15]
Alpha Persei Cluster 03h 26.0m +49° 07′ Perseus 172 50 300' 1.2 [16]
Arp-Madore 2 07h 38.8m −33° 51′ Puppis 8,870 5,000 1.3' [17]
Blanco 1 00h 04.3m −29° 56′ Sculptor 253 100 90' 4.5 [14]
Hodge 301 05h 38.5m −69° 04′ Dorado 51,400 25 0.5' 11 [18][19]
Lambda Orionis Cluster 05h 35m +09° 56′ Orion 438 5 2.8 [20]
Pi Puppis Cluster 07h 08m −37° 10′ Puppis 319 50' 2.1 [21]
Melotte 186 18h 01.1m +02° 54′ Ophiuchus 200 100 240' 3.0 [22]
NGC 2070 05h 38.7m −69° 06′ Dorado 48,500 1.5 3.5' 7.25 [23][24]
NGC 2232 06h 26.4m −04° 45′ Monoceros 325 53 45' 3.9 [1][6]
IC 4756 18h 39.0m −05° 27′ Serpens 330 500 40' 4.6 [1][6]
NGC 2516, Southern Beehive Cluster 07h 58.0m −60° 48′ Carina 346 141 30' 3.8 [6][7]
IC 4665 17h 46.3m +05° 43′ Ophiuchus 352 43 70' 4.2 [1]
Trumpler 10 08h 47.8m −42° 29′ Vela 365 35 14' 4.6 [1][6]
NGC 6633 18h 27.7m +06° 34′ Ophiuchus 375 660 20' 4.6 [25]
IC 348 03h 44.6m +32° 10′ Perseus 385 44 7' 7.3 [1]
NGC 752 01h 57.7m +37° 47′ Andromeda 400 1,700–2,000 75' 5.7 [26]
NGC 3532, Wishing Well Cluster 11h 06.4m −58° 40′ Carina 405 316 50' 3.0 [6][7]
Collinder 121 07h 08m −37° 10′ Canis Major 600 50' 2.6 [27]
Collinder 140 07h 24.5m −31° 51′ Canis Major 410 35 42' 3.5 [1][6]
Collinder 261 12h 38.0m −68° 22′ Musca 2,500 8,000 9' 10.7 [28][29]
NGC 2547 08h 10.8m −49° 18′ Vela 433 38 25' 4.7 [6]
NGC 6281 17h 04.7m −37° 59′ Scorpius 479 220 8' 5.4 [1]
NGC 225 00h 43.6m +61° 46′ Cassiopeia 657 130 12' 7.0 [1]
NGC 5662 14h 35.6m −56° 37′ Centaurus 666 70 30' 5.5 [1][7]
NGC 5460 14h 07.4m −48° 20′ Centaurus 678 160 36' 5.6 [1][7]
NGC 189 00h 39.7m +61° 04′ Cassiopeia 752 10 3.7' 8.8 [1]
NGC 6025 16h 03.3m −60° 26′ Triangulum Australe 756 130 14' 5.1 [1][7]
IC 5146 21h 53.5m +47° 16′ Cygnus 852 1 9' 7.2 [1]
NGC 2301 06h 51.75m +00° 28′ Monoceros 858 165 12' 6.0 [30]
IC 4651 17h 24.8m −49° 56′ Ara 888 1,900 10' 6.9 [1][7]
NGC 6087, S Normae Cluster 16h 18.8m −57° 56′ Norma 891 70 14' 5.4 [1][7]
NGC 3114 10h 02.7m −60° 07′ Carina 911 124 36' 4.2 [1]
NGC 2509 08h 00.7m −19° 04′ Puppis 912 Uncertain[31] 10' 9.3 [32]
NGC 2264 06h 41.0m +09° 53′ Monoceros 913 1.5 40' 3.9 [33]
NGC 1502 04h 07.8m +62° 20′ Camelopardalis 1,000 10 8' 5.7 [1]
Berkeley 59 00h 04.0m +68° 35′ Cepheus 1,000 2 180' [34]
NGC 2169 06h 08.4m +13° 58′ Orion 1,052 12 5' 5.9 [1]
NGC 6242 16h 55.6m −39° 28′ Scorpius 1,131 50 9' 6.4 [1][7]
NGC 381 01h 08.3m +61° 35′ Cassiopeia 1,148 320 7' 9.3 [1]
NGC 6204 16h 46.1m −47° 01′ Ara 1,200 79 6' 8.2 [1]
NGC 6231 16h 54.1m −41° 50′ Scorpius 1,243 6 14' 2.6 [1][7]
NGC 2439 07h 40.8m −31° 41′ Puppis 1,300 25 9' 6.9 [1][7]
NGC 6067 16h 13.2m −54° 13′ Norma 1,417 170 14' 5.6 [1][7]
NGC 2362, Tau Canis Majoris Cluster 07h 18.6m −24° 59′ Canis Major 1,480 4–5 5' 4.1 [35]
NGC 6756 19h 08.7m +04° 42′ Aquila 1,507 62 4' 4.5 [1]
NGC 6031 16h 07.9m −54° 03′ Norma 1,510 117 3' 8.5 [1][36]
NGC 2175 06h 09.7m +20° 29′ Orion 1,627 8.9 5' 6.8 [1]
NGC 188 00h 48.4m +85° 15′ Cepheus 1,660 6,600 17' 8.1 [7][37]
NGC 2244 06h 31.9m +04° 56′ Monoceros 1,660 1.9 30' 4.8 [1]
NGC 129 00h 30.0m +60° 13′ Cassiopeia 1,670 76 21′ 6.5 [38]
NGC 2360, Caroline's Cluster 07h 17.7m −15° 38′ Canis Major 1,887 1,000 13' 7.2 [1][7]
NGC 6834 19h 52.2m +29° 25′ Cygnus 1,930 76 5' 7.8 [1][36]
NGC 659 01h 44.4m +60° 40′ Cassiopeia 1,938 35 5' 7.9 [1]
NGC 4755, Jewel Box 12h 53.6m −60° 22′ Crux 1,976 14 10' 4.2 [1][7]
NGC 6200 16h 44.1m −47° 28′ Ara 2,056 8.5 12' 7.4 [39]
NGC 869 02h 19.1m +57° 09′ Perseus 2,079 12 18' 3.7 [1]
NGC 637 01h 43.0m +64° 02′ Cassiopeia 2,160 10 4.2' 8.2 [1]
NGC 2355 07h 17.0m +13° 47′ Gemini 2,200 955 5' 9.7 [1][7]
NGC 2129 06h 01.1m +23° 19′ Gemini 2,200 10 5' 6.7 [1][40]
NGC 663 01h 46.1m +61° 14′ Cassiopeia 2,420 25 14' 7.1 [1]
NGC 457 01h 19.1m +58° 17′ Cassiopeia 2,429 21 20' 6.4 [41]
NGC 2204 06h 15.5m −18° 40′ Canis Major 2,629 787 13' 8.6 [1]
NGC 884 02h 22.0m +57° 08′ Perseus 2,940 14 18' 3.8 [1][7]
NGC 1931 05h 31.0m +34° 15′ Auriga 3,086 10 3' 10.1 [1]
NGC 1980 5h 25.43m −05° 54′ Orion 550 4.7 14' 2.5 [42]
NGC 2158 06h 07.4m +24° 06′ Gemini 5,071 1,054 5' 8.6 [1]
Teutsch 2 05h 41.4m +39° 14′ Auriga 5,700 900 2' 11 [43]
NGC 6791 19h 20.9m +37° 46′ Lyra 5,853 8,900 16' 9.5 [1][7]
NGC 3293 10h 35.8m −58° 13′ Carina 2,750 8 8' 4.7
NGC 3766, Pearl Cluster 11h 36.2m −61° 37′ Centaurus 1745 14 12' 5.3
NGC 7419 22h 54.3m +60° 48.9′ Cepheus 2,800 2' 13
NGC 7789, White Rose Cluster 23h 57.4m +56° 43′ Cassiopeia 2,337 1,700 16' 6.7 [44]
Gaia 1 06h 45.9m −16° 45′ Canis Major 4,600 6,300 13' 8.3
Ru 7 06h 58.9m −13° 15′ Canis Major [citation needed]
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