| NGC 2627 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observation data (J2000.0epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 08h 37m 14.2s[1] |
| Declination | −29° 57′ 07″[1] |
| Distance | 5,990 ly (1,837 pc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.4[3] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 11.0′[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Other designations | NGC 2627,Cr 188,Mel 87[4] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| See also:Open cluster,List of open clusters | |
NGC 2627 is anopen cluster of stars in theconstellationPyxis. It was discovered on March 3, 1793 by German-British astronomerWilliam Herschel. Dutch astronomerJ. L. E. Dreyer described it as "a cluster, considerably large, pretty rich, pretty compressed, stars from 11th to 13th magnitude".[5] The cluster has an integrated visual magnitude of 8.4 and it spans anangular size of11.0′.[3] Around 15 stars are visible when viewed through binoculars.[3] NGC 2627 is located at a distance of approximately 5,990 ly (1,837 pc) from the Sun,[2] just above the galactic midplane.[6]
This cluster has aTrumpler class of III 2m,[3] which means it is generally average in appearance with no noticeable concentration of stars. It is of intermediate age, being around 1.4 billion years old. Correspondingly, themetallicity of the cluster is slightly sub-solar.[6] The cluster population shows four different peaks ofstar formation, separated by relatively quiescent periods lasting two to three hundred million years.[7]
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