Messier 46 and Messier 47 are two large open clusters that lie a little more than 1 degree apart in the sky in the constellation of Puppis.

M46 is seen at left in this photo, and M47 is at right.

M46 is a rich cluster that contains 100 stars, most of which are fainter than 9th magnitude. It is 27 arcminutes in size and shines at 6th magnitude.

M46 is 5,500 light-years from Earth and is estimated to be 300 million years old. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771.

M47 is a bright cluster comprised of 50 stars. It is 30 arcminutes in diameter and has an overall brightness of magnitude 4.4. It contains several bright stars of magnitude 6 and 7.

M47 lies 1,600 light-years away and is estimated to be 78 million years old. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently re-discovered by Charles Messier in 1771.

Open cluster NGC 2423 lies at the top right edge of the frame above M47. It is 19 arcminutes in size and shines at magnitude 6.7.

North is to the top in the above image.

M46 and M47 Catalogs: M46, NGC 2437 M47, NGC 2422 Object Type: Open Clusters Magnitude: M46: 6.1v M47: 4.4v Size: M46: 20' M47: 25' Constellation: Puppis Image Field Centered At: RA: 07h 39m 05s Dec: -14° 40' 22"