Jump to content

Narrowband

h and χ Persei - The Double Cluster


coatesg

Recommended Posts

Also known as h and χ Persei, the Double Cluster (comprising NGC 869 and NGC 884) is a "line of sight" pairing in the constellation in Perseus, though actually they are only a few hundred light years apart. The clusters have a combined visual magnitude of 3.7 and 3.8 and are visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch between Perseus and Cassiopeia.

NGC 869 (top) has a mass of 3700 solar masses and NGC 884 weighs in at 2800 solar masses; the total mass for the complex is estimated in excess of 20,000 solar masses when including an extensive halo of stars. Based on their individual stars, the clusters are relatively young, both 12.8 million years old, with the hottest stars having spectral class B0; NGC884 also has 5 prominent red supergiants including variable RS Per (closest to the centre of the lower cluster). North is to the left in this view.

Skywatcher Esprit ED80
SBIG STF8300M + Baader filters
MI-250 mount
RGB (125m:115m:115m - all in 300s subs., with additional 25x15sec in each channel for bright star cores)

Taken remotely from E-EYE in Spain:
* Image capture: Graeme Coates & Paul Tribe
* Processing: Graeme Coates

Bonus points for spotting the small fuzz of a galaxy in the field 😉

Lqm4dQs2qryY_16536x16536_wmhqkGbg.jpg

 

Edited by coatesg
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.