M48

Alt. Designations: NGC 2548
Object Type: Open Cluster
Constellation: Hydra
Distance: 1.5 kly
Right Ascension: 08h 13m 43.1s
Declination: -05° 45´ 02"
Visual Magnitude: 5.8
Apparent Dimension: 30.0´ Dia.
Best Month To View: Feb

Located in the constellation of Hydra, M48 is an open cluster of about 80 stars. 50 of these are brighter than magnitude 13 and are easily visible in binoculars and small telescopes. The cluster is easily visible to the naked eye under ideal observing conditions. M48 is about 23 light-years in diameter and is located some 1,500 light-years from Earth. Its age is estimated at about 300 million years.