BinoSky - best bets for stargazing with binoculars

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NGC2451, an open cluster in Puppis

	A map of the star field. Magnitudes are given without a decimal point, e.g. 67 is to be interpreted as magnitude 6.7.
How to Find It Starting from zeta Puppis, move a short distance toward pi. I have successfully observed the cluster even when the horizon was too hazy for Puppis to be visible with the naked eye; the unmistakeable asterism around Pi Puppis (see below) can be found by dead-reckoning from Canis Major, and from there it's only a short hop to Zeta Pup and NGC2451. Comments A favorite of mine, this is one of those broad clusters for which binoculars are really more appropriate than a telescope. What makes it unusually attractive is the contrast in color between the brilliant red star c Puppis in the foreground and the white members of the cluster, of which at least five are easily seen. Northern observers should not be scared away -- this is a nice bright cluster, easily visible from the southern US at the right time of year. Nearby Scenery While visiting the region, a similar colorfest can be enjoyed in the garish red supergiant Pi Puppis and its three white neighbors.
	60-degree field of view

Data (Janes, Duke, and Lynga, 1987)
RA	07 45
dec	-37 58
total V magnitude	2.8
NGC number	2451
Trumpler class	II 2 m
angular diameter	50'
distance	315 pc
age (Myr)	36
integrated B-V	.56
observed stars	153
earliest sp. class	B7
brightest star	6.0