NGC 2004 | |
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Observation data ( J2000 epoch) | |
Right ascension | 05h 30m 41.340s [1] |
Declination | −67° 17′ 21.83″ [1] |
Distance | 163.1 ± 0.3 ly (50 ± 0.1 pc) [2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.6 [3] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 3.0' × 2.8' [4] |
Physical characteristics | |
Mass | ~2.3×104 [5] M☉ |
Estimated age | 20 Ma [5] |
Other designations | NGC 2004, ESO 86-SC4 [3] |
Associations | |
Constellation | Dorado |
NGC 2004 (also known as ESO 86-SC4) is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Dorado. It was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on September 24, 1826. [6] This is a young, massive cluster with an age of about 20 million years and 23,000 times the mass of the Sun. [5] It has a core radius of 2.85 ± 0.46 pc (9.3 ± 1.5 ly). [7] NGC 2004 is a member of the Large Magellanic Cloud, [4] which is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.