Cr367
Open Cluster in Sagittarius
About
An open cluster in western Sagittarius, with IC 4685, an emission nebula, glowing around and behind its stars. The dark cloud Barnard 302 lies between us and the cluster, partly hiding both it and the nebula. It is about 3,800 light-years away.
Imaging tips
- One imager shot 12 frames of 7 minutes (about 84 minutes) with a DSLR on a 115 mm refractor and a D2 filter, and called the nebulosity worth more exposure.
- IC 4685, which the same imager rates a little fainter than the Lagoon Nebula, blends emission nebulae with dark clouds.
- The cluster itself is only about 7′ across, so it is too small to frame alone: use 3,460–5,770 mm on APS-C, or a shorter focal length to take in IC 4685 and the dark clouds.
- Low in the sky for northern observers, peaking near 16° from 50°N; best in June and July.
Facts
- Size
- 7′
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Coordinates
- RA 18h 9.8m, Dec −23° 50′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3460–5770 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Jun, Jul
- Peak altitude
- 16° from 50°N, 31° from 35°N