Messier 41 (M 41)

On this page I collect my observations of the open star cluster M 41 (NGC 2287) in the constellation Canis Major.

Introduction

The open star cluster M 41 in the constellation Canis Major is a "Winter DSO", belongs according to Stoyan to the five most beautiful star clusters visible from Central Europe and should not be missed.

Size: 40' / 30' (Stoyan / Karkoschka)
Distance: 2,300 light years (Stoyan)
Rating: *** (Stoyan)

Map

M 41 below Sirius (Canis Major) (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Find/Identify

Find/Identify: The open star cluster M 41 in the constellation Canis Major is located fairly low in the sky, even below Sirius, the brightest star in the winterly sky and also generally. With the help of Sirius, M 41 should be easy to find (provided that Sirius is visible). See the map above for details.

Sketch

The sketch by Michael Vlasov (DeepSkyWatch.com) provides a rough impression of what I observed (my impression was much fainter than the sketch): Sketch of M 41 by Michael Vlasov (Copyright © Michael Vlasov 2016)

Note: I have only the author's permission to link to this sketch.

My Own Photos

Atik Infinity & Explorer 150PDS (April 6, 2018)


M 41 (Canis Major), unprocessed	Ditto, post-processed	Ditto, post-processed and sharpened

M 41 (Canis Major), unprocessed	Ditto, post-processed	Ditto, post-processed and sharpened

Photos taken with Sky-Watcher Explorer 150PDS (April 6, 2018), originals reduced to 600 x 450 pixels. Confirmed using www.astroimages.de/de/gallery/M41.html and All sky plate solver.

eVscope


M 41 - Feb 19, 2020	M 41 - Feb 19, 2020	M 41 - Feb 19, 2020

M 41 - Mar 14, 2020	M 41 - Mar 18, 2020	M 41 - Mar 18, 2020, processed

Vespera


M 41 - Jan 29, 2024 - original, 10 min		M 41 - Jan 29, 2024 - large, 10 min

My Own Observations

Observations February to End of March 2017

March 2, 2017 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Heritage P130 on GoTo mount): Found M 41. As can be read in Karkoschka's book, this star cluster does not impress in the telescope, and so it was.
March 27, 2017 (Erkerode: Heritage 100P): M 41 nice, particularly at higher magnifications (7 mm/4 mm), only faint a glow otherwise
March 28, 2017 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Heritage 100P; Heritage P130 on GoTo mount, GSD 680): M 41 forms a beautiful group of stars (100P/7 mm, P130/16 mm, GSD680/32 mm)
March 29, 2017 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Heritage P130 on GoTo mount): Ditto with one telescope only...
March 30, 2017 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Heritage P130 on GoTo mount): Ditto

Observations March to April 2018

March 14, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount, StarSense): M 41 found visually
March 14, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount, Atik Infinity, StarSense): M 41 photographed, but I was not sure whether I really found it (I did not)...
March 19, 2018 (Erkerode: LT and TS binoculars): M 41 observed with binoculars , looked nice
March 24, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount, StarSense): M 41 observed visually, quite nice
April 6, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on GoTo-Mount with Atik Infinity, StarSense): M 41 photographed (and confirmed)

Observations February 2019

February 27, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS 72/432 on AZ Pronto Mount, TS binoculars): M 41 showed fine stars; M 41 also found with TS binoculars.

Observations February to March 2020

February 19, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 41 photographed; large, bright stars.
March 14 and 18, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 41 photographed

Observations January 2024

January 29, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): M 41 photographed

References

Messier Catalogue - Messier 41: messier.seds.org/m/m041.html
Messier 41 (Wikipedia): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_41
Astroimages.de (Siggi Kohlert) - Messier 41: www.astroimages.de/de/gallery/M41.html