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NGC 2345

OPEN CLUSTER IN CANIS MAJOR (THE BIG DOG)

(Image centered at: ra 07 h: 08 m / dec -13º 10')

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VIEW

January - 2025, Home Backyard in Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Open Cluster

APPARENT DIAMETER: 12 arc seconds

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): 7.7

DISTANCE: 2,5 k parcecs (or 8.000 light years)

IMAGE INFORMATION

INSTRUMENT: 6" ORION OPTICS UK (Ultra Grade Optics) w/Sky Watcher Coma Corrector (0.9x) working at at f4.5

CAMERA: QHY 183 MONO

MOUNT: VIXEN GDPX, OAG with Starlight Xpress Lodestar

FILTERS: BAADER LRGB Set + ANTLIA HA 4nm

SKY CONDITIONS: urban skies - Bortle 8

EXPOSURES: LRGB (60,30,30,30)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

NGC 2345 is a young open cluster that hosts seven blue and red supergiants, low metallicity, and a high fraction of Be stars, which makes it a privileged laboratory to study stellar evolution. Despite its young age there are not nebulosity around the background. The open cluster is located 2 degrees to the south from the Seagull Nebula Complex. Its age is estimated in 56 million years and spans over a distance of 26 light years containing between 50 and 100 stars.  NGC 2345 has a low metallicity for its Galactocentric distance, which is comparable to typical Large Magellanic Cloud stars. (*)

NGC 2345 was discovered by John Herschel in 1836 from Cape Town, South Africa using a private 6.3 meters telescope

(*)Information adapted from a study written by J. Alonso-Santiago, I. Negueruela, A. Marco, H. M. Tabernero, C. González-Fernández and N. Castro6 in November 2019