H & Chi Persei (Perseus)
Fig. 1: Exceptional due to the large number of young bright O and B stars: The open clusters NGC 869 & NGC 884 (h & χ Persei), photographed with an 8-inch f/5 Newtonian reflector on a ZWO AM5 mount. The clusters are visible to the unaided eye.
| Object name: | Constellation: | Coordinates: | Apparent size: | Visual brightness: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC869 & NGC884 (= h & χ Persei) | Perseus | 02h20m / +57 08' | 30' & 30' | 5.3 & 6.1 mag |
The open star clusters h Persei (NGC 869) and Chi Persei (χ Persei, NGC 884) in the constellation Perseus. The two members of the famous "Double Cluster" (also called Caldwell 14) are a few hundred light years apart from each other and both are located about 7,460 light-years away from Earth. They are about 14 million years young and were first recorded by Hipparchus 130 BC, thus have been known since antiquity (source: Wikipedia).
Two-hundred-and-thirty-two 1-minute exposures (232 minutes total exposure) at gain 0 and -10°C, taken on October 27 / 28, 2024, were added for this shot with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) software and the final image processing was done in Photoshop. Darks, flats, bias and darkflats were used.
Equipment: Cooled ASI 2600MC Pro camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 8" f/5 "ONTC" Newtonian telescope riding on a ZWO AM5 Strain Wave Mount, ZWO OAG-L off axis system, ASI 174MM Mini guide camera, ASIAIR Plus.
Fig. 2 - Search chart for NGC 869 & NGC 884 (h & χ Persei). Copyright 2024 'The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project', www.siaris.net.