Editing Canis Minor (section)

=== Deep-sky objects ===
[[File:Red and Long Dead Abell 24.tif|thumb|Nebula [[Abell 24]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Red and Long Dead |url=https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1927a/ |website=eso.org |access-date=8 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref>]]
The [[Milky Way]] passes through much of Canis Minor, yet it has few [[deep-sky object]]s.<ref name="inglis">{{cite book|last=Inglis|first=Mike|title=Astronomy of the Milky Way: Observer's Guide to the Southern Sky|publisher=Springer|location=New York, New York|year=2004|page=20|isbn=978-1-85233-742-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1r0qvMjSCGAC&pg=SA2-PA9}}</ref> [[William Herschel]] recorded four objects in his 1786 work ''[[Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars]]'', including two he mistakenly believed were star clusters.<ref name=bratton>{{cite book|last=Bratton|first=Mark |title=The Complete Guide to the Herschel Objects: Sir William Herschel's Star Clusters, Nebulae and Galaxies|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location = Cambridge, England | year=2011|page=134 | isbn = 978-0-521-76892-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLuv9bAUbBwC&pg=PA134}}</ref> [[NGC 2459]] is a group of five thirteenth- and fourteenth-magnitude stars that appear to lie close together in the sky but are not related.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc24a.htm#2459 |title=NGC Objects: NGC 2450 – 2499 |work= Celestial Atlas|author=Seligman, Courtney |access-date=25 May 2012}}</ref> A similar situation has occurred with [[NGC 2394]], also in Canis Minor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc23a.htm#2394 |title=NGC Objects: NGC 2350 – 2399 |work= Celestial Atlas|author=Seligman, Courtney|access-date=25 May 2012}}</ref> This is a collection of fifteen unrelated stars of ninth magnitude and fainter.<ref name=bratton/>

Herschel also observed three faint galaxies, two of which are interacting with each other.<ref name=bratton/> [[NGC 2508]] is a [[lenticular galaxy]] of thirteenth magnitude, estimated at 205 million light-years' distance (63 million parsecs) with a diameter of {{Convert|80000|ly|pc|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc25.htm#2508 |title=NGC Objects: NGC 2500 – 2549 |work= Celestial Atlas|author=Seligman, Courtney|access-date=25 May 2012}}</ref> Named as a single object by Herschel, [[NGC 2402]] is actually a pair of near-adjacent galaxies that appear to be interacting with each other. Only of fourteenth and fifteenth magnitudes, respectively, the elliptical and spiral galaxy are thought to be approximately 245&nbsp;million light-years distant, and each measure 55,000 light-years in diameter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc24.htm#2402 |title=NGC Objects: NGC 2400 – 2449 |work= Celestial Atlas|author=Seligman, Courtney|access-date=25 May 2012}}</ref>