M46 (NGC 2437)
and planetary nebula NGC2438

Home

Type Location r.a. dec. Size Magnitude Distance
Open Cluster and
Planetary nebula
Pup 7h41.8 -14°49' 27' 6.1 5000 ly

Messier 46 or M46, also known as NGC 2437, is an open cluster of stars in the slightly southern constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771. The planetary nebula NGC 2438 appears to lie within the cluster near its northern edge, but it is most likely unrelated.

Messier 46, M46

NGC2438 detail:

NGC 2438

More from Wikipedia

Date Telescope Binning Exp Time (s) Special processing Notes
Feb 24, 2026 Centurion
18"
L 1:1
RGB 3:1
L 3x300
R,G,B 300
Max entropy, LRGB, DDP