Messier 50 (also M50, NGC 2323, Collinder 124 and OCL 559) is a magnitude +5.9 open star cluster located 3200 light years away in the constellation Monoceros. The cluster contains about 200 stars. The brightest of these has an observed brightness of +9.0 and belongs to the spectral type B8. The cluster contains several giant stars. The age is estimated at about 78 million years. The dimensions of the cluster are approximately 14 x 19 light-years (The central, densest part has a diameter of about 10 light-years). The cluster was perhaps discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini before 1711. The cluster was independently discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier on the 5th April 1772.
Right Ascension 07h 02m 40.5s, Declination -08° 22' 33"
