H-NGC6866
Open Cluster in Cygnus
About
A young open cluster in Cygnus nicknamed the Kite Cluster, about 4,350 light-years away. Its stars are roughly 430 million years old. It lies in the field watched by the Kepler space telescope, which has revealed dozens of variable stars among its members.
Imaging tips
- At 3460–5770 mm on APS-C the roughly 7′ cluster is the subject of the frame; it is too compact for short focal lengths.
- One imager used a 12-inch Newtonian at 1120 mm and gathered 5 h 20 min: 82 × 2 min of luminance plus 26 × 2 min per colour channel.
- Emission nebulae LBN 260, 262 and 272 lie around it, so a field wider than the cluster may pick up extra glow.
- Surface brightness is 20.5 mag/arcsec², bright enough for broadband imaging. Best in July and August, when it climbs to about 84° from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 7′
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Coordinates
- RA 20h 4.0m, Dec +44° 9′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3460–5770 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Jul, Aug
- Peak altitude
- 84° from 50°N, 81° from 35°N