NGC 2516
Scientific overview
NGC 2516 is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It shines at apparent magnitude 3.8 and spans about 24.3 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 2516
| Distance | 1,339 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 9.466234 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Radial velocity | 23.82 ± 0.06 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 119.527083 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -60.8 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2022ApJ...931..156P · catalogued value · source value 410.6 pc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2022A&A...659A..85F · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Carina
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carina NebulaC 92 · NGC 3372 | H II region | 3 | 120 |
| Wishing Well ClusterC 91 · NGC 3532 | Open cluster | 3 | 12 |
| NGC 3114NGC 3114 | Open cluster | 4.2 | 12.3 |
| IC 2581 | Open cluster | 4.3 | 6 |
| NGC 3293NGC 3293 | Open cluster | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| NGC 2808NGC 2808 | Globular cluster | 5.69 | 9 |
| NGC 3572NGC 3572 | Open cluster | 6.6 | 4.08 |
| NGC 3324NGC 3324 | Cluster with nebulosity | 6.7 | 4.8 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.