Messier 37, also known as NGC 2099, is the brightest, largest, and most populated of the three open clusters in Auriga. It contains over 500 identified stars, with the majority being main sequence stars similar to our Sun. The cluster is relatively young, estimated to be around 300 million years old, and its stars are gravitationally bound to each other. M37 is a popular target for astrophotographers due to its rich stellar population and the presence of a prominent red giant star near its center.
Names and Catalog numbers
- Messier 37 (M37)
- NGC 2099
- Melotte 38 (Mel 38)
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
Messier 37 is situated in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, within the Local Group. It can be found in the vicinity of the bright star Capella, forming part of a triangle with the stars Alnath and El Nath. M37 shares its celestial neighborhood with two other Messier objects in Auriga: M36 and M38, making this region a popular area for stargazers and astrophotographers alike.
Nice to Know
- M37 is often referred to as the “Salt and Pepper Cluster” due to its appearance.
- It contains at least a dozen red giant stars, with the brightest one located near the cluster’s center.
- The first astrophotography image of M37 was taken on February 8th, 1893 by Isaac Roberts.
- M37 plays a significant role in studies of stellar formation and evolution due to its high number of main sequence stars.
Brightness, distance and size
Messier 37 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making it visible to the naked eye under excellent dark sky conditions. It is located approximately 4,511 light-years away from Earth. The cluster spans about 20 to 25 light-years across, which translates to an apparent size of 24 arcminutes in the night sky. This relatively large apparent size makes M37 an ideal target for astrophotography, especially with telescopes of longer focal lengths.
