5607 5605
Cen
☀7.7mag
Ø 3.0'
Drawing Bertrand Laville

James Dunlop discovered NGC 5606 = D 313 = h3568 on 8 May 1826 and recorded "a very minute group of small stars, about 2' long, extended in the parallel of the equator." JH made a single observation on 6 July 1836: "a small close group of large and small stars, forming a cluster."

400/500mm - 18" (7/5/05 - Magellan Observatory, Australia): at 228x, this is a compact, distinctive group of two dozen stars mag 8.7-15 including four mag 8.7-10 stars in a 2'-3' region. Two of these stars form a wide 21" pair on the west side and are surrounded by several faint companions creating a rich clump. The main group is only 2.5' in diameter, though it is situated in a glittering, rich star field so the cluster is not completely detached from the surrounding field.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb