Object Analysis

Messier 36 (M36), also known as the Pinwheel Cluster, is an open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654. It is one of three bright open clusters in the southern part of Auriga (along with M37 and M38).

M36 is located about 4,100 light-years away and is roughly 14 light-years in diameter. It is a young cluster, about 25 million years old, and contains about 60 stars. Its members are mostly bright, hot B-type stars, which give the cluster its brilliant blue-white appearance.

The cluster is physically very similar to the more famous Pleiades cluster (M45), but it appears smaller and fainter because it is about ten times farther away. It is an excellent target for binoculars, appearing as a bright, granular knot of stars against the rich backdrop of the Milky Way.