Constellation Puppis Declination −38° 32′ 00″ Apparent magnitude (V) 5.8 | Right ascension 07 52 09.8 Distance ~ 3600 ly (~ 1100 pc) Apparent dimensions (V) 27′ | |
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NGC 2477 is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It contains about 300 stars, and was discovered by Abbé Lacaille in 1751. The cluster's age has been estimated at about 700 million years.
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Visual appearance
NGC 2477 is a stunning cluster, almost as extensive in the sky as the full moon. It has been called "one of the top open clusters in the sky", like a highly resolved globular cluster without the dense center characteristic of globular clusters. Burnham notes that several observers have remarked on its richness, and that although it is smaller than M46 (also an open cluster in Puppis), it is richer and more compact.
Distance
Burnham cites several published distances, ranging from 700 parsecs (2,300 ly) to 1,900 parsecs (6,200 ly), where "ly" is the abbreviation for light year.