M48 = NGC2548 ( 8h 13.8m -5°48´, 5.8 mag. )
Messier noticed M48 open star cluster in Hydra on February 19, 1771, however (like in the case of M47) he entered wrong positional data in his catalogue (4° N of the actual position).
M48 (open cluster)
M68 (globular cluster)
M83 (spiral galaxy)
Hydra, also called the serpent of Lerna, was a beast with the body of a hound and 100 serpentine heads.
M48 (open cluster)
M68 (globular cluster)
M83 (spiral galaxy)
Check out the Hydra Region page which is part of the Texas Astronomical Society's Constellation of the Month Series.
Located in the constellation of Hydra, M48 is an open cluster of about 80 stars. 50 of these are brighter than magnitude 13 and are easily visible in binoculars and small telescopes.
Hydra has three Messier objects: M48, M68, and M83. M48 (NGC 2548). Messier actually gave the wrong location for this star cluster, putting it four degrees north of the current position. But by his description this seems to be the right object.
The northernmost of the six, Epsilon Hydrae, is a quintuple star - a system of five stars. M48 is a fairly faint, but large, open cluster of about 80 stars easily observed with binoculars.
 See also: Star, Cluster, Hydra, Sky, Open
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