NGC 2362

NGC 2362. By examining the young star cluster, astronomers have studied gas giant planet formation.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

NGC 2362 is an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major. It was discovered byGiovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654. Its brightest star is Tau Canis Majoris, and therefore it is sometimes called the Tau Canis Majoris Cluster. NGC 2362 has a distance of 1.48 kpc and is a relatively young 4–5 million years in age. It is a massive open cluster, with more than 500 solar masses. The cluster is in relation with the giant nebula Sh2-310, that lies at the same distance.