Open cluster · Scutum
NGC 6664 Santa's Sleigh Cluster
mag 7.86′ across
About
NGC 6664, the Santa's Sleigh Cluster, is an open cluster of magnitude 7.8 in Scutum, about 6′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 6664 is in the constellation Scutum.
- Best evenings: around mid-August it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 72° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)A faint, grainy patch.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A group of faint stars.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 6664 |
|---|---|
| Type | Open cluster |
| Magnitude | 7.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 6′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Constellation | Scutum |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 36m 33.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −08° 13′ 15″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →