NGC188 - The old cluster of the North

[Hughsie]

There are three constants when I am imaging; the equipment I am using, a clear night sky and Polaris. One without the others makes the whole night irrelevant. So this got me to thinking about Polaris and what objects of interest are there in and around this region?

Enter NGC188. Located in the constellation Cepheus and only 5° from the north celestial pole it is one of the oldest known open clusters, estimated to be 6-7 billion years of age. Sometimes I find the numbers to be staggering whether it be size, distance or age. 

Before writing here I had a search of the forum to see what other images or discussions have been posted about NGC188. There are a few EEVA pictures going back 5-6 years and written observation reports but overall very little. When I sit back and think about objects to photograph especially this time of year, we are lucky to have a plethora of bright nebulae and galaxies to pick from but none are near 7 billion years of age and lucky to have found a position so far above our own galaxy that they can last that long without drifting apart. 

So here is NGC188, there’s no way it will be on Stargazers Lounge for 7 billion years but hopefully it will be around for a good few years yet for people to enjoy.

Data

• Luminance 63 x 60 s
• Red             88 x 60 s
• Green         82 x 60 s
• Blue            78 x 60 s

Equipment

• William Optics Z103 refractor
• ZWO ASI1600mm Pro Cool (Gain 139, Offset 30, Sensor Temperature -10℃)
• Chroma 1.25” filters
• Sesto Senso motor focuser
• SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro mount
• William Optics 50mm guidescope and Lodestar x2 guide camera
• ZWO EFW

Software

• Image acquisition with Sequence Generator Pro
• Image processed with PixInsight

Thank you for checking in.

John

Edited January 23, 2021 by Hughsie

[Graham Darke]

Very nice! First object in Patrick Moore’s Caldwell catalogue- C1.

 

[peter shah]

Not an object we see very often....its a lovely rendition  with superb star colour

 

[ultranova]

Nicely done, this ones a first for me,

As you say, not often photographed,.

Thanks for sharing, 

Well done 

Paul