NGC 4103 is an open cluster in Crux
NGC 4103 (MWSC 1997) is an open cluster in the constellation Crux . It shines at magnitude 7.4 and spans 7.8′. It is best in a small telescope, 4 to 6 inches, and it is highest in the evening sky in May.
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 NGC 4103 from Acrux
Acrux
NGC 4103
CRUX
NGC 4103 lies 3.0° northwest of Acrux , the magnitude 0.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4103 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -58° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -46° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -31° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -52° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -65° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -79° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -86° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -72° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -52° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -21° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -45° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -59° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -73° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -67° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -65° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -59° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -44° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 9° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -41° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 64° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 16° 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 29°N, and never sets south of 29°S.
The distance to NGC 4103 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 4103
18 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4052, open cluster, 2.0° NGC 4349, open cluster, 2.2° NGC 4439, open cluster, 2.9° NGC 3766 Pearl Cluster, open cluster, 3.7° NGC 4337, open cluster, 3.8° IC 2944 Lambda Centauri Nebula, cluster with nebula, 4.0° NGC 4463, open cluster, 4.4° NGC 4609 Coalsack Cluster, open cluster, 4.5°
NGC 4103 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Crux Designations NGC 4103, MWSC 1997 Type open cluster Right ascension (J2000) 12h 06.7m Declination (J2000) -61° 15′ Magnitude 7.4 Apparent size 7.8′ Radial velocity -12 km/s Best with Small telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
