On a clear night, this cluster is visible to the naked eye. In a pair of binoculars, this object shows up as a bright patch of light. M 35 lies about 2,800 light years from Earth and is 30 light years across. If you look at your chart for Gemini, you ll notice the star Zeta that lies just below the Ecliptic. This star is a Cepheid variable and it is interesting to see it increase in brightness every 10.15 days from 4.2 magnitude to 3.6.
Cancer is home to two open star clusters.
The famous Beehive cluster, M44, and M66. M44 lies just above the Ecliptic and can be seen as a hazy patch with the naked eye. Through binoculars, you will be able to see individual stars. M44 is 550 light years away and is 30 light years in diameter. Sitting about 15 degrees below M44 and on the border of Canis Minor is M67.