H-NGC1857
Open Cluster in Auriga
About
A compact open cluster in Auriga, about 9,000 light-years away and around 257 million years old, with roughly 360 member stars. William Herschel found it in 1780. It lies less than 1° south of Lambda Aurigae and is in the Herschel 400 list.
Imaging tips
- Only about 6–7′ across, so it is too small to frame: use a long focal length and a fine pixel scale.
- A bright orange giant of type K5III sits at the centre of one imager's frame, against the fainter cluster stars.
- One imager collected 60 minutes of luminance with 30, 30 and 25 minutes of red, green and blue (colour binned 2×2).
- Best in November and December, reaching about 79° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 6′
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Coordinates
- RA 5h 20.1m, Dec +39° 20′
- Framing, APS-C
- longer than 4000 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Nov, Dec
- Peak altitude
- 79° from 50°N, 86° from 35°N