Collinder 140

Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
Constellation Taurus
Right ascension 07h 24m 53s[1]
Declination −31° 52′ 23″[1]
Distance 1,226 ly (376 pc)[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.5[3]
Apparent dimensions (V) 60′[1]
Physical characteristics
Estimated age 20 million years[4]

Collinder 140 is a nearby open cluster of stars in the constellation Canis Major. It was first catalogued in 1751 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, who described it as a "nebulous star cluster". It was catalogued again by the Swedish astronomer Per Collinder in 1931.[5] Fitzgerald et al. (1980) describe it as "a young extended cluster" and note that it is not obviously a cluster and may instead be a mere grouping of stars that formed together.[4]

Based on the combined parallax measurements of nine cluster members, this cluster has an estimated parallax of 2.66 ± 0.13 mas, which is equivalent to a distance modulus of 7.88 ± 0.11,[2] or a distance of 1,226 light-years (376 pc). The cluster has a density of 0.21 solar masses per cubic parsec; roughly double the density of stars near the Sun. It is about 20 million years old,[4] and may have been created from the same interstellar cloud that formed NGC 2516 and NGC 2547.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Astronomical Almanac, Nautical Almanac Office, Great Britain: United States Naval Observatory, p. H68
  2. 1 2 van Leeuwen, F. (April 2009), "Parallaxes and proper motions for 20 open clusters as based on the new Hipparcos catalogue", Astronomy and Astrophysics 497 (1): 209–242, arXiv:0902.1039, Bibcode:2009A&A...497..209V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200811382
  3. ↑ "C 0722-321 -- Cluster of Stars", SIMBAD (Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg), retrieved 2010-12-23
  4. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, M. P.; Miller, M.; Harris, G. L. H. (April 1980), "A spectroscopic and statistical study of Collinder 140", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 191: 95–114, Bibcode:1980MNRAS.191...95F, doi:10.1093/mnras/191.1.95
  5. ↑ Plotner, Tammy (2007), What's Up 2007: 365 Days of Skywatching, Lulu.com, p. 87, ISBN 0-9782214-0-0
  6. ↑ Subramaniam, A.; Bhatt, H. C. (December 1999), "Star Formation History of the Puppis-Vela Region Using HIPPARCOS Data", in Nakamoto, T., Star Formation 1999, Proceedings of Star Formation 1999, pp. 373–374, Bibcode:1999sf99.proc..373S
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