Open cluster · Perseus

NGC 869 Double Cluster

Also known as: C14, NGC 884

mag 3.750′ across

About

NGC 869, the Double Cluster, is an open cluster of magnitude 3.7 in Perseus, about 50′ across.

NGC 869 is in the constellation Perseus.
Best evenings: around mid-December 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 north of 23° S.
Cassiopeia’s W: Two clusters side by side, between Cassiopeia and Perseus; superb in binoculars.

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.

EyesA hazy spot in the Milky Way between Perseus and Cassiopeia.
Binoculars (10×50)Two clusters side by side in one field.
Telescope (6–8 inch)Hundreds of stars at low power, with a few orange ones among the blue-white.

For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.

Designations	NGC 869, C14, NGC 884
Type	Open cluster
Magnitude	3.7The smaller the number, the brighter.
Apparent size	50′ × 50′the full Moon is 31′ across
Constellation	Perseus
Right ascension (J2000)	02h 20m 42.0s
Declination (J2000)	+57° 08′ 15″