Monkey Head Nebula is an open cluster in Orion, 5,770 light-years away
Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2175, LBN 854, Sh2 252C) is an open cluster in the constellation Orion , 5,770 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 6.8 and spans 5′ of sky, about 8.4 light-years across. It is an easy target in binoculars, and it is highest in the evening sky in February.
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 Monkey Head Nebula from Propus
Propus
Monkey Head Nebula
ORION
Monkey Head Nebula lies 2.4° southwest of Propus , the magnitude 3.3 star. That is within one binocular field.
Monkey Head Nebula is highest in the evening in February
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -16° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 78° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -34° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 41° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 83° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 66° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 77° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 68° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -69° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -49° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 52° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -78° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -53° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 44° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -67° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -84° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 24° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -41° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -79° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 12° 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 northern hemisphere and south to about 70°S, and never sets north of 70°N.
Monkey Head Nebula is 5,770 light-years away
The light seen from Monkey Head Nebula tonight left it about 5,770 years ago. It ranks 20 of 78 by distance among the star clusters on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023.
Objects within 6° of Monkey Head Nebula
Monkey Head Nebula catalog data
Field Value
Designations NGC 2175, LBN 854, Sh2 252C Type open cluster Constellation Orion Right ascension (J2000) 06h 09.7m Declination (J2000) +20° 29′ Magnitude 6.8 Apparent size 5′ True size 8.4 light-years Distance 5,770 light-years (Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023) Best month February Best with Binoculars
