Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  NGC 869  ·  NGC 884  ·  chi Persei Cluster  ·  h Persei Cluster
Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei, Thomas Richter
Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei
Powered byPixInsight

Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)
Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei, Thomas Richter
Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei
Powered byPixInsight

Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

Object description (wikipedia.org):

NGC 869 has a mass of 3,700 solar masses and NGC 884 weighs in at 2,800 solar masses; however, later research has shown both clusters are surrounded with a very extensive halo of stars, with a total mass for the complex of at least 20,000 solar masses. Based on their individual stars, the clusters are relatively young, both 12.8 million years old. In comparison, the Pleiades have an estimated age ranging from 75 million years to 150 million years.

There are more than 300 blue-white super-giant stars in each of the clusters. The clusters are also blueshifted, with NGC 869 approaching Earth at a speed of 39 km/s (24 mi/s) and NGC 884 approaching at a similar speed of 38 km/s (24 mi/s). Their hottest main sequence stars are of spectral type B0. NGC 884 includes five prominent red supergiant stars, all variable and all around 8th magnitude: RS Persei, AD Persei, FZ Persei, V403 Persei, and V439 Persei.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

Double Cluster - h Persei and χ Persei, Thomas Richter