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NGC 2451B

Component of NGC 2451 or Collinder 161

Open Cluster in Puppis

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Proper Name	None
Messier Number	None
NGC/IC Number	NGC 2451B (a component cluster of NGC 2451)
Other Designations	One of a pair of clusters jointly catalogued as Collinder 161
Constellation	Puppis
Right Ascension	7h 44m 31s
Declination	-37° 57' 14"
Distance	c.1,200 light years c.400 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +2.70 Absolute: -5.00
Diameter	Apparent: 1° 48' Actual: 37 light years
Number of Stars	c. 4,300
Optimum Visibility	January / February

NGC 2451 (also referred to as Collinder 161) appears to be a single large open cluster, and indeed was originally classified as such. In fact, this grouping of stars represents two separate clusters, of which NGC 2451B is the more distant at some 1,200 light years. The nearer cluster, NGC 2451A, lies about half that distance from the Sun, overlapping NGC 2451B in the sky. The prominent orange star near the centre of this image is c Puppis, which is a particularly luminous star associated with NGC 2451B. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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