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Perseus Double Cluster

Discussion in 'Astrophotography and Imaging' started by Orion25, Feb 21, 2022.

Perseus Double Cluster

Started by Orion25 on Feb 21, 2022 at 4:15 PM

7 Replies 1204 Views 2 Likes

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  1. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 21, 2022
    #1
    I first discovered these clusters at the local observatory at Fernbank and was fascinated ever since! I captured this image a few nights ago during a run of beautiful weather (it's all clouds, fog and rain now, of course, lol):

    ASTRONOMY - PERSEUS DOUBLE CLUSTER BEST 2-10-22 SM.jpg
    From wikipedia: The Double Cluster (also known as Caldwell 14) consists of the open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884 (often designated h Persei and χ (chi) Persei, respectively), which are close together in the constellation Perseus. Both visible with the naked eye, NGC 869 and NGC 884 lie at a distance of about 7,500 light years in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

    Clear skies!
    Reggie :cool:
     
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  2. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Feb 23, 2022
    #2
    Nice one Reggie. The Perseus Double Cluster is one of my favourites. I was looking at Caldwell 14 with my 72ED last night. I got around 50 & 60x.

    I got a good view of M37 as well. I 'discovered' the Double Cluster and M37 years ago with an old Newtonian. I remember thinking at the time that the Double Cluster must be a Messier object. Although Messier didn't include it in his catalogue. Probably as it doesn't look like a comet.

    I remember finding M37 for the first time and having no idea what it was. Is it a difficult target for AP? The seeing was better than the transparency last night but I got a pretty good view of it at about 60x.
     
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  3. Ed D

    Ed D Well-Known Member

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    Ed D, Feb 23, 2022
    #3
    Thank you for posting your double cluster image, Reggie. I remember 21 years ago, when my wife and I had first bought our house, I could see the double cluster naked eye, as well as Andromeda, Omega Cent, and much more. It was barely a Bortle 8 Red Zone back then. This morning I was walking my dog and counted a whopping 7 stars in the sky, with effort! :-(

    Ed D
     
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  4. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 23, 2022
    #4
    Thanks, Dave. Once you've found it, it's a pretty easy AP target, right there between Cassiopeia and Perseus.
     
  5. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 23, 2022
    #5
    "It was barely a Bortle 8 Red Zone back then" :eek::eek:
     
  6. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Feb 24, 2022
    #6
    Yeah, it's pretty easy to find. There's a lot of objects in that part of the sky. I can spend ages in Cassiopeia and Perseus. I can see NGC 281 (Pacman Nebula).

    pacman.jpg
     
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  7. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 25, 2022
    #7
    It's amazing when you realize you're looking out of the edge of the galaxy in this region.:eek:
     
  8. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Feb 25, 2022
    #8
    Far out! :cool:
     

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