RA 2h 20m · Dec +57° 11′

5′

Two physically associated open clusters separated by only a few hundred light-years and presenting as a spectacular naked-eye pair. Embedded in the Perseus OB1 association; a sweeping wide-field image captures both clusters and the surrounding rich Milky Way and nebulosity.

Open cluster

Double Cluster

NGC 869 · Perseus

These photons are ~7,500 years old

UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.

ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →

⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log

Date: 21/09/2025
Location: 36.3860° N, 28.0409° E
Integration: 15m (46 × 20s)
Software: ZWO Seestar app
Notes: ·
Total effort: 1h 15m over 1 night
Moon: 🌘Waning crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA: 2h 19m 40.5s
Centre Dec: +57° 11′ 22″
Field: 42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale: 2.38″/px
Orientation: 70.5° E of N
Hemisphere: Northern

Also in this frame

C14 NGC 869C014NGC 884

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50

CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera

RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 2 19 40.5 +57 11 22. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)

36.3860° N, 28.0409° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is NGC 869?

NGC 869 is an open cluster.

Which constellation is NGC 869 in?

NGC 869 lies in the constellation Perseus.

How far away is NGC 869?

The light in this image left NGC 869 roughly ~7,500 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.

What are the coordinates of NGC 869?

NGC 869 sits at right ascension 02h 19m 41s and declination +57° 11′ 22″ (J2000).

When is the best time to photograph NGC 869?

NGC 869 is circumpolar from around 36°N - it never sets, and rides highest (about 69° altitude) on evenings around October.

What else is in this frame?

The plate-solved field also contains C14, C014, and NGC 884.

What equipment was used to photograph NGC 869?

This image of NGC 869 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.

How much exposure time went into this image?

This image of NGC 869 represents 15m (46 × 20s) + 15m (46 x 20s) of total integration time.

Double Cluster

Where to find it

Frequently asked questions

Comments

Leave a comment Cancel reply