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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Caldwell 102
IC 2602 (also known as the Southern Pleiades, Theta Carinae Cluster, or Caldwell 102) is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. Discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1751 from South Africa, the cluster is easily visible to the unaided eye, and is one of the nearest star clusters, centred about 149 parsecs (486 light-years) away from Earth.

Description

IC 2602 has a total apparent magnitude of 1.9, and contains about 75 stars. It is the third-brightest open cluster in the sky, following the Hyades and the Pleiades. Its apparent diameter is about 50 arcminutes.

IC 2602 is likely about the same age as the open cluster IC 2391, which has a lithium depletion boundary age of 50 million years old, though the age estimated from its Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is about 13.7 million years. IC 2602 is thought to form part of the Lower Scorpius–Centaurus association.

Components

Theta Carinae is the brightest star within the open cluster, with the apparent visual magnitude of +2.74. Theta Carinae is part of the asterism known as the Diamond Cross, which is often mistaken for the Southern Cross asterism in the constellation of Crux.

p Carinae (PP Carinae) is another third-magnitude star known to be a member of IC 2602, although it lies well outside the main visible grouping of stars. p Carinae exhibits a variable apparent magnitude ranging from 3.22 to 3.55.

All other members the cluster are of the fifth magnitude and fainter, but several are naked-eye objects, including HR 4196 (V518 Car), HR 4204, HD 93194, HR 4219, HR 4220, HR 4222, HD 92536, HD 93738, and V364 Carinae.

An exoplanet has been found orbiting the star TOI-837 in this cluster.

IC 2602 brightest stars
Designation Apparent magnitude Stellar classification Distance (pc)
Theta Carinae 2.735 B0Vp 142
p Carinae (PP Carinae) 3.247 B4Vne 104.645
HR 4204 5.719 B3IV/V 309.598
HR 4219 5.297 B6Vnn 156.674
HR 4222 4.807 B4V 154.007
HD 92536 6.313 B8V 156.823
HD 93194 4.777 B3/5Vn 169.146
HD 93738 8.571 B9.5V 417.168
V364 Carinae 5.465 ApSi 160.013
V518 Carinae 4.758 B3V 140.634

History

IC 2602 was first discovered by French astronomer and abbot Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille on March 3, 1751 while in Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. In Lacaille's initial discovery, he classified Theta Carinae (referred as "Theta Navis", or alternatively "Theta Argus") as a third magnitude star, whilst citing the cluster's resemblance to the northern Pleiades.

Observation

Positioned at a declination of -64º on the night sky, IC 2602 is most clearly visible from the southern hemisphere, and appears circumpolar from southern subtropics and temperate climates; the cluster is observable from a limited selection of north hemispherical regions, mainly tropical areas. IC 2602 is identifiable a few degrees south of the southern Milky Way, surrounded by various fifth and sixth magnitude stars. To the unaided eye, several faint stars are distinguishable to the east of the blue Theta Carinae.

Notes

  1. ^ IC 2602 is located at a declination of −64°, which equates to an angular distance of 26º from the south celestial pole.

References

  1. ^ "NED results for object IC 2602". National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. ^ "IC 2602". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.
  3. ^ "IC 2602 - SEDS Messier Database". Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. ^ O'Meara, Stephen James (2016-09-26). Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-03353-1.
  5. ^ Jones, K. G. (March 1969). "The search for the nebulae - VI". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 79: 213–222. Bibcode:1969JBAA...79..213J.
  6. ^ Stauffer, J.R.; et al. (1997). "Rotational Velocities and Chromospheric/Coronal Activity of Low-Mass Stars in the Young Open Clusters IC 2391 and IC 2602". Astrophysical Journal. 479 (2): 776. Bibcode:1997ApJ...479..776S. doi:10.1086/303930.,
  7. ^ Barrado y Navascues, D; Stauffer, J.R.; Jayawardhana, R. (2002). "Spectroscopy of Very Low Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in IC 2391: Lithium Depletion and Hα Emission". Astrophysical Journal. 614 (1): 386–397. arXiv:astro-ph/0406436. Bibcode:2004ApJ...614..386B. doi:10.1086/423485. S2CID 208867491.
  8. ^ "WEBDA page for open cluster IC 2602". WEBDA. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  9. ^ Whiteoak, J.B. (1961). "A study of the galactic cluster IC 2602. I. A photoelectric and spectroscopic investigation". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 123: 245–256. Bibcode:1961MNRAS.123..245W. doi:10.1093/mnras/123.3.245.
  10. ^ Blaauw, A. (1964). "The O Associations in the Solar Neighborhood". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 2: 213–246. Bibcode:1964ARA&A...2..213B. doi:10.1146/annurev.aa.02.090164.001241.
  11. ^ "Theta Carinae". simbad.u-strasbg.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  12. ^ Bouma, L. G.; Hartman, J. D.; et al. (November 2020). "Cluster Difference Imaging Photometric Survey. II. TOI 837: A Young Validated Planet in IC 2602". The Astronomical Journal. 160 (5): 239. arXiv:2009.07845. Bibcode:2020AJ....160..239B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/abb9ab.
  13. ^ "Gaia Archive". gea.esac.esa.int. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  14. ^ "Theta Carinae". simbad.u-strasbg.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  15. ^ Whitman, Alan (June 1998). "At The Eyepiece: Eclipse-Chasing Perfection - The Caribbean". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 92: 158. Bibcode:1998JRASC..92..158W.
  16. ^ "Catalogues - Hipparcos - Cosmos". www.cosmos.esa.int. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  17. ^ Equated from parallax in milliarcseconds (mas).
  18. ^ Jones, K. G. (March 1969). "The Search for the Nebulae - VI". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 79: 213 - 222. Bibcode:1969JBAA...79..213J.
  19. ^ "NED results for object IC 2602". National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
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