NGC 3114 (OC)
Open Cluster in Carina
| R.A. | Dec. | Size | Mag | SB | Cnt.St | Type | Distance | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10h 02m 37.0s | -60° 07′ 30.6″ | 30.0′ | 4.2 | 11.3 | II3r | OC | -- | -- |
Source: POSS-2 UK Schmidt Red (STScI) | Field: 45′ × 45′
Background
NGC 3114 is a large, loose open cluster in Carina, around 3,000 light-years away and 160 million years old. Sometimes called the “Hand Cluster”, its stars sprawl across half a degree — comparable in apparent size to the full Moon — making it best appreciated at low magnification.
My Observing Notes
30-cm (SkyWatcher 12-inch f/5): A 4th-magnitude cluster requiring a large FOV; even the 35 mm Panoptic (43×, 1.6° TFOV) struggles to frame it. Southern Gems likens the stars to the shape of a radio telescope: a triangle of stars forms the “base” and a semi-circular arc of stars forms the “dish”. Easier to pick out in the finderscope (5° FOV) than in the eyepiece, where the rich Carina starfield makes the cluster boundary hard to define.(10 April 2026)
References
Charts
Ultra-wide view (~25° field)
Wide-field view with Telrad rings (4°, 2°, 0.5°)
Finderscope view (9×50 RACI, ~4.4° TFOV)
Eyepiece view — 35 mm Panoptic on 12-inch f/5 (1.6° TFOV)