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| M67 (NGC 2682). Captured using C filter. G2-1600 CCD |
Messier 67 is also known as the King Cobra Cluster. NGC 2682 is a rich stellar cluster, usually classified as an open cluster. Using a slightly larger telescope, Naim and Griv (2012) showed that M67 is a tight group composed of about 1200 stars. The actual radius of the cluster is about 3.1 pc and the system is gravitationally bound. As the cluster is almost twice older its half-life time , it is argued that M67 was in the past (about 4 Gyr ago, close to its formation) a relatively small globular cluster, but slowly evolved into an “open cluster” shape due to the dynamical evaporation of the majority of its stars.
Source: S. Naim and E. Griv, "Examining the M67 Classification as an Open Cluster," International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 2 No. 3, 2012, pp. 167-173. doi: 10.4236/ijaa.2012.23020.