Double Cluster
Also known as NGC 869
Double Cluster is an open star cluster in the constellation Perseus, about 7,170 light-years from Earth.
Two open clusters in Perseus
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Position (J2000) | 2h 18m 58s, +57° 07′ |
| Distance | 7,170 light-years (its light set off about 7,170 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 3.7 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 16.3′ × 16.3′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 508 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Double Cluster is highest in the sky at midnight in October. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 53° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 83°. To see it you need the naked eye, even from a town.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Perseus
- Alpha Persei Cluster
- California Nebula
- Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76)
- M34 (NGC 1039)
- Mirfak
- NGC 1277
- Perseus A (NGC 1275)
- Perseus Cluster
Everything in Perseus · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits