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NGC 3228 | |
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Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Right ascension | 10h 21m 22s[1] |
Declination | −51° 43′ 42″[1] |
Distance | 1,870 ly (573 pc[2]) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.0 [1] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 11'[2] |
Physical characteristics | |
Estimated age | 260 million years[2] |
Other designations | Collinder 218, vdBH 93 |
Associations | |
Constellation | Vela |
NGC 3228 is an open cluster in Vela. It was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751–1752,[3] while he was in South Africa and catalogued it as Lac II.7.[4] It is small but bright and can be observed easily with binoculars in sufficiently dark skies.[5]
It is a cluster of Trumpler type I1p or II3p, with few members with large brightness range and a slight concentration toward its center.[4] Klarchenko et al. mention 53 possible members within the angular diameter of the cluster. The tidal radius of the cluster is 1.4 – 5.5 parsecs (4.5 – 18 light years) and represents the average outer limit of NGC 3228, beyond which a star is unlikely to remain gravitationally bound to the cluster core.[2] The brightest member is of mag. 7.9 and the hottest star is of spectral type B9.[4] One member, HD 89856 (mag. 9.04, spectral type B9), is a variable star with period 4.556 days.[6]