Messier 41 (M41) is an open star cluster in the constellation Canis Major, located about four degrees south of Sirius, making it easy to find with binoculars or a small telescope. Also known as NGC 2287, it contains about 100 stars, including several bright red giants, and is approximately 2,300 light-years away. Sometimes called the "Little Beehive Cluster," it was possibly first observed by Aristotle in 325 BC and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1765.
Type: Open star cluster
Location: Canis Major, south of Sirius
Distance: ~2,300 light-years
Size: ~25 light-years across
Stars: ~100, including several red giants
Age: ~190-240 million years old
Apparent Magnitude: ~4.5, visible to the naked eye in dark skies
Locate Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, by following Orion's Belt down and to the left.
Look about four degrees (roughly the width of eight full moons) directly south of Sirius.
Use binoculars or a low-power telescope to see the cluster as a hazy patch of stars, often with a bright orange star near the center.
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