NGC 2158

Located 24 arcminutes southwest of M35’s centre is fainter and more compact open cluster NGC 2158. At mag. +8.6 and just 6 arcminutes across, it gets overshadowed by its more dramatic neighbour, appearing as nothing more than a blurry smudge through apertures smaller than 8 inches. In 8- to 10-inch scopes, approximately 40-50 stars can be seen on the threshold of visibility. The cluster has a central condensation resembling the appearance of a small globular. Although it may look less impressive than M35, there is good reason for this: M35 is estimated to lie 2,800 lightyears from Earth, while NGC 2158 is far more distant at 11,000 lightyears. SEEN IT