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Heart-Shaped Cluster (M50)
open cluster in Monoceros
M50, the Heart-Shaped Cluster, is a rich open cluster in Monoceros set against the Milky Way. Its bright and faint stars make a rough heart shape, and the dense star field behind it makes for a busy, colorful frame.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M50
- Type
- open cluster
- Constellation
- Monoceros
- Size
- 16′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 5.9
- Distance
- about 3,200 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jan
- Typical prime months
- Oct to Mar
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband)
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image Heart-Shaped Cluster
- At 16 arcminutes, 800 to 1,200 mm frames it well.
- It sits near the Cone Nebula region in Monoceros, so a wide frame can pair the two.
- Winter evenings are best from northern sites.
Framing: what focal length?
M50 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 20% |
| 2,000 mm | about 40% |
| 3,000 mm | about 59% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M50 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 27° | Stays low |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 37° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 47° | Workable |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 57° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 63° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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