While exploring Cassiopeia, I took a peek over to the bordering constellation of Perseus. Here you can find two open star clusters, often referred to as the Double Cluster designated as NGC 869 and NGC 884. Both clusters, which are visible to the unaided eyes, lie on the Perseus arm of the Milky Way Galactic Core some 7,600 and 6,800 light years away from Earth. Even though these clusters appear to be close in proximity, they are located a few hundred light years away from each other. Each cluster contains a few hundred stars, which are young, hot supergiant suns that are thousands of times more luminous than our sun…another trivia that blows my mind 🤯. The journey continue, but in the meantime, remember to look up and experience an amazing Universe!
Double Cluster in Perseus
Location of Double Cluster between the constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus. Source: http://www.skyledge.net/DoubleCluster-hop.htm
Gear: AA Hypercam 26C, SW Evostar 72ED, HEM27 mount, Optolong CLS; SVbony 120mm guidescope + ZWO 120mc
Exif: 105 minutes integration (5-min subs); Gain 200, Offset 3, TEC @ 10 degrees
SharpCap, AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight, Photoshop