Open Clusters

[glenc]

What are your favorite open clusters?
I like the rich ones like M11, M46 and NGC2477.
I don't bother with clusters like M47 and NGC2451.

[Lismore Bloke]

My 3 favourite ones are:
NGC 2516 Carina
NGC 4755 Crux
NGC 2287 Canis Major
After that it's hard to pick ... 3532 Carina ... 6475 Scorpius etc

[Coen]

No particular order

NGC 2362 - nicely shows the effects of averted vision
NGC 3532 - so many, so even (others in the Carina area, NGC 3293 & 3114)
NGC 2516
M7

M41 is a sentimental favourite - first thing I found by myself way back when I was a kid with a telescope and a star chart.

My daughters like open clusters as they make shapes out of them, for example penguins, mice and the like - not sure I can see them though, perhaps my imagination gene is not very strong.

[JimmyH155]

Favourite NGC 6231 in Scorpius
then NGC6255 - jewel box
Eta Carina area fantastic - forget the number but one of those clusters wont fit into my widest EP:eyepop:

[barx1963]

Ah! NGC 3532 The Pincushion Cluster. Been looking at it tonight. Many bright stars almost seem evenly spaced, just lovely. Try and tear yourself away from Eta Car for a few seconds to check out "one of the heavens true stellar spectacles" to quote O'Meara.

[Robh]

Some of my favourites are:
M11 (Wild Duck Cluster) in Scutum.
M46 in Puppis with the chance alignment planetary nebula NGC 2438.
NGC 3293 (Gem Cluster) in Carina- compact, rich.
NGC 3766 (Pearl Cluster) in Centaurus.
NGC 4755 (Jewel Box) in Crux. A popular target.
NGC 6231 in Scorpius- bright and with nearby trio which includes zeta2,1.

Regards, Rob.