NGC 2477 - Termite Hole Cluster

NGC 2477 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis, known as the Termite Hole Cluster. It contains about 1900 stars and was discovered by Abbé Lacaille in 1751, during his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. On his list of 42 discovered nebulae, he listed it as number three with the notes: “Large nebula of 15-20 arc minutes in diameter”. John Herschel was able to separate individual stars while observing the cluster from South Africa, with the comments: “Cluster 6th class, bright, large, rich, not very highly condensed in the middle. Stars very remarkably equal. All 12 or 13th mag. Very few 14th mag; none 11th mag. A fine object”.

Based on the turn-off point in its Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, its calculated age is around 700 million years old.

NGC 2477 is a stunning cluster, almost as extensive in the sky as the full moon. It has been called one of the top open clusters in the sky, like a highly resolved globular cluster without the dense center characteristic of globular clusters. It is one of the bright open clusters in the sky, shining at an apparent magnitude of +5,8.