M 48

Scientific overview

M 48 is an open cluster in the constellation Hydra. It shines at apparent magnitude 5.8 and spans about 28.2 arcminutes of sky.

Difficulty

Binoculars

Recommended equipment

10×50 binoculars or any small telescope

Best observed

Spring (evening sky)

Best hemisphere

Both (equatorial)

Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.

RA / Dec

8.2287h / -5.7504°

Hemisphere

Both

Season

Spring

Object	Type	Mag	Size (′)
Southern Pinwheel GalaxyM 83 · NGC 5236	Spiral galaxy	7.21	13.61
Jupiter's Ghost NebulaC 59 · NGC 3242	Planetary nebula	7.7	0.42
M 68M 68 · NGC 4590	Globular cluster	7.96	6.6
NGC 3621NGC 3621	Barred spiral galaxy	9.55	9.79
NGC 3923NGC 3923	Elliptical galaxy	9.6	6.89
NGC 3585NGC 3585	Elliptical galaxy	9.69	6.61
NGC 5694C 66 · NGC 5694	Globular cluster	10.89	3.3

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.

Loading…