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M 36 is an open cluster visible in the Auriga constellation, easily identifiable even with a small pair of binoculars.
M 36 is located at a distance of about 4100 light years from the Earth: its apparent diameter of 12 'corresponds to a real diameter of about 14 light years.
It is also one of the youngest clusters, with an estimated age of 20-25 million years: it does not contain any red giant, as opposed to the two neighboring clusters M37 and M38.