NGC 5662

NGC 5662 is an open cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille on May 17, 1752 from South Africa.^[4] James Dunlop observed it on July 10, 1826 from Parramatta, Australia and added it to his catalog as No. 342.^[5]

NGC 5662
NGC 5662 imaged by DSS
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Right ascension	14h 35m 37s[1]
Declination	−56° 37′ 06″[1]
Distance	2,170 ly (666 pc[2])
Apparent magnitude (V)	5.5 [1]
Apparent dimensions (V)	12'
Physical characteristics
Mass	348[3] M☉
Estimated age	93 million years[2]
Other designations	Melotte 127, Colinder 284, vdBH 162
Associations
Constellation	Centaurus
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

It is a rich cluster (Trumpler class II3r), with 295 stars according to Haug (1978) and 280 according with Archinal, Hynes (2003).^[5] One of its members, V Centauri, is a cepheid variable. Despite its large distance from the cluster centre, it has high likelihood of being a member of it.^[6] The tidal radius of the cluster is 6.4 - 12.4 parsecs (21 - 40 light years) and represents the average outer limit of NGC 5662, beyond which a star is unlikely to remain gravitationally bound to the cluster core.^[3]