M67

Alt. Designations: NGC 2682
Object Type: Open Cluster
Constellation: Cancer
Distance: 2.7 kly
Right Ascension: 08h 51m 18.0s
Declination: +11° 48´ 00"
Visual Magnitude: 6.9
Apparent Dimension: 25.0´ Dia.
Best Month To View: Jan

The constellation of Cancer is the site of an open star cluster called M67. It is one of the oldest known open clusters and is believed to be over 3 billion years old. It is also the oldest cluster in the Messier catalog. This cluster is located about 2,700 light-years from Earth. It contains around 500 stars, some 200 of which are believed to be white dwarfs. At magnitude 6.1, it is an easy target for the binocular observer. Viewing through a telescope will reveal some of the cluster's fainter stars.