225 Notable Star Clusters

Star clusters can appear absolutely stunning in even modest telescopes - jewels suspended against the cosmic backdrop. Star clusters, like galaxies and nebulae, are extended objects. However, they consist of stars that often can be individually resolved. As such, magnitude largely determines how bright they appear to the naked eye.

Here is an A-to-Z list of the 225 brightest star clusters of the night sky that can be found using good binoculars or a telescope. All open star clusters and globular star clusters that are brighter than magnitude 15 are listed.


STAR CLUSTER TYPE MAGNITUDE CONSTELLATION
Alpha Persei Cluster open 1.20 Perseus
Beehive Cluster open 3.10 Cancer
Blanco 1 open 4.50 Sculptor
Butterfly Cluster open 4.20 Scorpius
Caldwell 76 open 2.60 Scorpius
Caldwell 95 open 5.10 Triangulum Australe
Caroline's Rose open 6.70 Cassiopeia
Christmas Tree Cluster open 6.70 Monoceros
Collinder 140 open 3.50 Canis Major
Coma Cluster open 1.80 Coma Berenices
Cone Nebula open 3.90 Monoceros
Cooling Tower open 9.00 Cygnus
Diamond Cluster open 3.80 Carina
Djorgovski 1 globular 13.60 Scorpius
Double Cluster open 3.70 Perseus
Eagle Nebula open 6.00 Serpens
ESO 224-8 globular 14.00 Norma
ESO 452-SC 11 globular 12.00 Scorpius
ESO 456-78 globular 11.00 Sagittarius
FSR 1758 globular 7.00 Scorpius
GCl 50 globular 14.00 Ophiuchus
Hercules Cluster globular 5.78 Hercules
Hodge 301 open 11.00 Dorado
Hyades open 0.50 Taurus
IC 348 open 7.30 Perseus
IC 4499 globular 9.76 Apus
IC 4651 open 6.90 Ara
IC 4665 open 4.20 Ophiuchus
IC 4756 open 4.60 Serpens
IC 5146 open 7.20 Cygnus
Intergalactic Wanderer globular 10.40 Lynx
Jewel Box open 4.20 Crux
Koposov 1 globular 14.20 Virgo
Lambda Centauri open 4.50 Centaurus
Messier 10 globular 6.60 Ophiuchus
Messier 103 open 7.40 Cassiopeia
Messier 107 globular 7.93 Ophiuchus
Messier 12 globular 6.70 Ophiuchus
Messier 14 globular 7.59 Ophiuchus
Messier 15 globular 6.20 Pegasus
Messier 18 open 6.90 Sagittarius
Messier 19 globular 6.77 Ophiuchus
Messier 2 globular 6.47 Aquarius
Messier 21 open 5.90 Sagittarius
Messier 23 open 5.50 Sagittarius
Messier 24 open 4.60 Sagittarius
Messier 25 open 4.60 Sagittarius
Messier 26 open 8.00 Scutum
Messier 28 globular 6.79 Sagittarius
Messier 3 globular 6.19 Canes Venatici
Messier 30 globular 7.19 Capricornus
Messier 34 open 5.20 Perseus
Messier 35 open 5.00 Gemini
Messier 36 open 6.00 Auriga
Messier 37 open 5.60 Auriga
Messier 38 open 6.40 Auriga
Messier 39 open 4.60 Cygnus
Messier 4 globular 5.63 Scorpius
Messier 41 open 4.50 Canis Major
Messier 46 open 6.10 Puppis
Messier 47 open 4.40 Puppis
Messier 48 open 5.80 Hydra
Messier 5 globular 5.65 Serpens
Messier 50 open 5.90 Monoceros
Messier 52 open 6.90 Cassiopeia
Messier 53 globular 7.61 Coma Berenices
Messier 55 globular 6.32 Sagittarius
Messier 56 globular 8.27 Lyra
Messier 62 globular 6.45 Ophiuchus
Messier 67 open 6.90 Cancer
Messier 68 globular 7.84 Hydra
Messier 69 globular 7.64 Sagittarius
Messier 70 globular 7.87 Sagittarius
Messier 71 globular 8.19 Sagitta
Messier 72 globular 9.27 Aquarius
Messier 75 globular 8.52 Sagittarius
Messier 79 globular 7.73 Lepus
Messier 80 globular 7.33 Scorpius
Messier 9 globular 7.72 Ophiuchus
Messier 92 globular 6.44 Hercules
Messier 93 open 6.20 Puppis
Mexican Jumping Star open 4.10 Canis Major
NGC 1261 globular 8.29 Horologium
NGC 129 open 6.50 Cassiopeia
NGC 1502 open 5.70 Camelopardalis
NGC 1851 globular 7.14 Columba
NGC 188 open 8.10 Cepheus
NGC 189 open 8.80 Cassiopeia
NGC 1931 open 10.10 Auriga
NGC 2129 open 6.70 Gemini
NGC 2158 open 8.60 Gemini
NGC 2169 open 5.90 Orion
NGC 2175 open 6.80 Orion
NGC 2204 open 8.60 Canis Major
NGC 2232 open 3.90 Monoceros
NGC 225 open 7.00 Cassiopeia
NGC 2298 globular 9.29 Puppis
NGC 2301 open 6.00 Monoceros
NGC 2355 open 9.70 Gemini
NGC 2360 open 7.20 Canis Major
NGC 2439 open 6.90 Puppis
NGC 2451 open 2.80 Puppis
NGC 2509 open 9.30 Puppis
NGC 2547 open 4.70 Vela
NGC 2808 globular 6.20 Carina
NGC 288 globular 8.09 Sculptor
NGC 3114 open 4.20 Carina
NGC 3201 globular 6.75 Vela
NGC 3293 open 4.70 Carina
NGC 362 globular 6.40 Tucana
NGC 381 open 9.30 Cassiopeia
NGC 4147 globular 10.32 Coma Berenices
NGC 4372 globular 7.24 Musca
NGC 4833 globular 6.91 Musca
NGC 5053 globular 9.47 Coma Berenices
NGC 5286 globular 7.34 Centaurus
NGC 5460 open 5.60 Centaurus
NGC 5466 globular 9.04 Bootes
NGC 5634 globular 9.47 Virgo
NGC 5662 open 5.50 Centaurus
NGC 5694 globular 10.17 Hydra
NGC 5824 globular 9.09 Lupus
NGC 5897 globular 8.53 Libra
NGC 5927 globular 8.01 Lupus
NGC 5946 globular 9.61 Norma
NGC 5986 globular 7.52 Lupus
NGC 6031 open 8.50 Norma
NGC 6087 open 5.40 Norma
NGC 6101 globular 9.16 Apus
NGC 6139 globular 8.99 Scorpius
NGC 6144 globular 9.01 Scorpius
NGC 6200 open 7.40 Ara
NGC 6204 open 8.20 Ara
NGC 6229 globular 9.39 Hercules
NGC 6235 globular 9.97 Ophiuchus
NGC 6242 open 6.40 Scorpius
NGC 6256 globular 11.29 Scorpius
NGC 6281 open 5.40 Scorpius
NGC 6284 globular 8.83 Ophiuchus
NGC 6287 globular 9.35 Ophiuchus
NGC 6293 globular 8.22 Ophiuchus
NGC 6304 globular 8.22 Ophiuchus
NGC 6316 globular 8.43 Ophiuchus
NGC 6325 globular 10.33 Ophiuchus
NGC 6342 globular 9.66 Ophiuchus
NGC 6352 globular 7.96 Ara
NGC 6355 globular 9.14 Ophiuchus
NGC 6356 globular 8.25 Ophiuchus
NGC 6362 globular 7.73 Ara
NGC 6366 globular 9.20 Ophiuchus
NGC 637 open 8.20 Cassiopeia
NGC 6380 globular 11.31 Scorpius
NGC 6388 globular 6.72 Scorpius
NGC 6397 globular 5.73 Ara
NGC 6401 globular 9.45 Ophiuchus
NGC 6426 globular 11.01 Ophiuchus
NGC 6440 globular 9.20 Sagittarius
NGC 6441 globular 7.15 Scorpius
NGC 6453 globular 10.08 Scorpius
NGC 6496 globular 8.54 Scorpius
NGC 6517 globular 10.23 Ophiuchus
NGC 6522 globular 8.27 Sagittarius
NGC 6528 globular 9.60 Sagittarius
NGC 6535 globular 10.47 Serpens
NGC 6539 globular 9.33 Serpens
NGC 6540 globular 9.30 Sagittarius
NGC 6541 globular 6.30 Corona Australis
NGC 6544 globular 7.77 Sagittarius
NGC 6553 globular 8.06 Sagittarius
NGC 6558 globular 9.26 Sagittarius
NGC 6569 globular 8.55 Sagittarius
NGC 6584 globular 8.27 Telescopium
NGC 659 open 7.90 Cassiopeia
NGC 6624 globular 7.87 Sagittarius
NGC 663 open 7.10 Cassiopeia
NGC 6633 open 4.60 Ophiuchus
NGC 6638 globular 9.02 Sagittarius
NGC 6642 globular 9.13 Sagittarius
NGC 6652 globular 8.62 Sagittarius
NGC 6712 globular 8.10 Scutum
NGC 6717 globular 9.28 Sagittarius
NGC 6723 globular 7.01 Sagittarius
NGC 6749 globular 12.44 Aquila
NGC 6752 globular 5.40 Pavo
NGC 6756 open 4.50 Aquila
NGC 6760 globular 8.88 Aquila
NGC 6791 open 9.50 Lyra
NGC 6834 open 7.80 Cygnus
NGC 6934 globular 8.83 Delphinus
NGC 7006 globular 10.56 Delphinus
NGC 7492 globular 11.29 Aquarius
NGC 752 open 5.70 Andromeda
Omega Centauri globular 3.60 Centaurus
Omega Centauri Cluster globular 3.68 Centaurus
Omicron Velorum Cluster open 2.50 Vela
Owl Cluster open 6.40 Cassiopeia
Palomar 1 globular 13.18 Cepheus
Palomar 10 globular 13.22 Sagitta
Palomar 11 globular 9.80 Aquila
Palomar 13 globular 13.47 Pegasus
Palomar 2 globular 13.04 Auriga
Palomar 3 globular 14.26 Sextans
Palomar 5 globular 11.75 Serpens
Palomar 6 globular 11.55 Ophiuchus
Palomar 8 globular 11.02 Sagittarius
Pearl Cluster open 5.30 Centaurus
Pleiades open 1.20 Taurus
Ptolemy Cluster open 3.30 Scorpius
Pyxis cluster globular 12.90 Pyxis
Ruprecht 106 globular 10.90 Centaurus
S Norma Cluster open 5.60 Norma
Sagittarius Cluster globular 5.10 Sagittarius
Satellite Cluster open 4.80 Monoceros
Southern Pleiades open 1.90 Carina
Terzan 2 globular 14.29 Scorpius
Terzan 3 globular 12.00 Scorpius
Terzan 5 globular 13.85 Sagittarius
Terzan 6 globular 13.85 Scorpius
Teutsch 2 open 11.00 Auriga
Tonantzintla 2 globular 12.24 Scorpius
Trumpler 10 open 4.60 Vela
Wild Duck Cluster open 5.80 Scutum
Wishing Well Cluster open 3.00 Carina
Wizard Nebula open 7.30 Cepheus