More Clusters

[AndyC]

Saturday Evening : Re-collimated (hey that was easy wasn't it) 10” Dob + TV 32mm Plossl and TV 10mm Radians

As per previous reports I have 'starred' the ones I think are the best.

A couple I missed in Cygnus

NGC 6811 Just right of Delta Not sure really what the cluster is here both Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel show it as

4 or 5 stars when just to the S and Right are two collections of stars that LOOK much more like a clusters !!!

NGC 6866* Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel differ here Stellarium has it just south of what CdC has as the cluster

which looks like a cluster 15 or so 10th and 11th Mag stars including a double at the N End.

Cepheus

NGC 6939 Really Tricky the brightest star being Mag 11.4 the rest being fainter than 12 so not much to look at.

Need bigger scope or major power cut. There's a nice looking Galaxy nearby NGC 6946 didn't see anything of that.

Andromeda

NGC 752*** S of Almach. Needs the 32mm really as it just about fills its FoV could use the 10mm for closer

looks at bits of it like a number of doubles. Composed of a number of 7th and 8th Mag stars and lots and lots (40-50+)

of fainter ones ( I could identify down to Mag 12.5) . A REALLY good Cluster.

For some reason I got distracted and went south just to look at Mira, never seen it before. Now 5th-6th Mag and boy is it red!

Cassiopeia

NGC 7790 Same 32mm FoV as 7788 10 or so 11th Mag stars plus a few fainter a nice 11th mag Double at the S

NGC 7788* 10 or so 9th and 10th Mag stars plus same number of fainter ones, a couple of doubles noted.

The pair of clusters make a very nice view in the 32mm EP.

NGC 129* 5 or 6 8th-9th Mag stars many (25+) more fainter in an already rich field.

M103*** OK its a Messier but i looked at it ... I found it rather tricky to see more than the brightest 3 or 4 stars.

I started off of from Delta Cas three times because I wasn't sure ... thinking

"That can't be it ...it's *$*!&!... I'm sure it was better last year" only on the third did I just nudge the focus and woah ...

out popped all the stars. Made it 20 or so down to 12th Mag or so. Is really dominated by a red star at the centre.

NGC 659 N of M103 5 or 6 11th and 12 Mag Stars barely noticeable at all

NGC 663*** Composed of 25 9th and 10th Mag stars plus a similar number of fainter ones.

Three or four good doubles note, a really good cluster in the 10mm Radian.

NGC 457** Dominated by 5th Mag Rho Cas quite compact 10 or so stars brighter than 10th Mag perhaps twice

as many fainter ones. Again a number of doubles noted.

Went on briefly to look at the doubles/triple Eta & Iota Cas and Struve 163, though couldn't make out the

third member of Iota for some reason..

Was really looking forward to getting a look at Orion, Monoceros, Canis Major and Puppis but it clouded over

Now that they are clearing the house next door. Oh well they'll be there another day

Andy

[iamjulian]

Thank you for sharing. I always find it amazing when people do this - pick a constellation and then list a big number of objects that you can find in it. I haven't looked beyond the Messier objects yet. Your report shows just how much there is up there to view.

[Doc]

You have done really well to see all these open clusters, the problem some people have is discerning where they start and where they finish especially in Cassiopeia and Cygnus.

[AndyC]

You have done really well to see all these open clusters, the problem some people have is discerning where they start and where they finish especially in Cassiopeia and Cygnus.

Oh yes there are bits of sky there that aren't clusters that look more like clusters than the clusters ... like NGC 6811 having two nearby clumps that are far more clusterlike. There must be three times as many in Cassiopeia than I've seen that are in the range of the 10" but haven't looked for or been able to find. It's certainly been a bit of a lesson in navigating the sky (Stellarium close at hand) and I've found myself lost quite a few times in the process of hopping from one place to another. More rewarding I find than just plugging the object into a GoTo handset and looking.

... I always find it amazing when people do this - pick a constellation and then list a big number of objects that you can find in it..

Just sort of passing the time 'til I can get at Orion and the rest It was doubles in Pisces last night only managed 6/12 targets (5th-7th Mag primaries) before it clouded ... boy were they hard to find

A