IC 2488 is an open cluster in Vela
IC 2488 (MWSC 1671) is an open cluster in the constellation Vela . It shines at magnitude 7.4 and spans 7.2′. It is best in a small telescope, 4 to 6 inches, and it is highest in the evening sky in March.
Open cluster: a loose group of a few dozen to a few thousand young stars born together from one cloud of gas. They drift apart over a few hundred million years and lie in the disk of the Milky Way.
Finding IC 2488 from Marut
Marut
IC 2488
VELA
IC 2488 lies 29′ west of Marut , the magnitude 3.2 star. That is within one binocular field.
IC 2488 is highest in the evening in March
JAN
FEB
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -28° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -32° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -53° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -68° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -83° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -81° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -52° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -18° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -64° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -80° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -78° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -57° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -71° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -62° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -32° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -41° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 33° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 61° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 58° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 71° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 33°N, and never sets south of 33°S.
The distance to IC 2488 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of IC 2488
11 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2899, planetary nebula, 54′ NGC 2867, planetary nebula, 1.5° NGC 3033, open cluster, 2.9° IC 2501, planetary nebula, 3.4° NGC 2925, open cluster, 3.7° NGC 2910, open cluster, 4.1° NGC 3105, open cluster, 5.1° NGC 3114, open cluster, 5.5°
IC 2488 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Vela Designations IC 2488, MWSC 1671 Type open cluster Right ascension (J2000) 09h 27.6m Declination (J2000) -57° 00′ Magnitude 7.4 Apparent size 7.2′ Radial velocity -3 km/s Best with Small telescope Best month March Catalog page IC 2001 to 2500
