NGC 2232
Open cluster in the constellation Monoceros / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 2232 is a bright open star cluster in the equatorial constellation of Monoceros, centered on the star 10 Monocerotis.[3] It is located in the Gould Belt close to the Orion Nebula cluster,[6] at a mean distance of 1,060 ly from the Sun.[2] The average radial velocity of the cluster members is 26.6±0.77 km/s.[7] This is one of the nearest open clusters to the Sun, which makes it a potentially useful target for studying young stars and their transition to the main sequence.[8]
NGC 2232 | |
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Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Right ascension | 06h 27m 15s[1] |
Declination | –04° 45′ 30″[1] |
Distance | 1,060 ly (325 pc)[2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.9[3] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 30′[3] |
Physical characteristics | |
Mass | < 100[4] M☉ |
Radius | ~15 ly[4] |
Estimated age | 30.9 Myr[2] |
Other designations | Cr 93, C 0624-047[5] |
Associations | |
Constellation | Monoceros |
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters |
The cluster has an angular radius of 36′ and a core angular radius of 7.2′. It is a sparse cluster with twenty high–probability members.[2] This is considered a super-solar cluster, with the components generally having a higher abundance of iron compared to the Sun. The mean metallicity is 0.22±0.09 or 0.32±0.08, depending on what assumptions are made.[7] At least four cluster members display an infrared excess at a wavelength of 8μm that is suggestive of warm dust, while the A-type star HD 45435 displays a strong excess at 24μm. The latter may indicate the star is in an early evolutionary state.[6] Only one member of the cluster appears to be chemically peculiar.[9]