The Double Cluster in Perseus…NGC869 & NGC884 they are visible to the naked eye from any dark location, I can barely see it as a fuzzy patch with my unaided eyes from my backyard in the City of Dayton due to strong city light Pollution. They look great in Binoculars. The clusters are about 7,600 light years away!
h and χ Persei, are one the most delightful Open Star Clusters to view in Binoculars or a small telescope! I really like how the red giants really stand out so nicely in this photo.
NGC 884 (also known as χ Persei) is an open cluster located 7600 light years away in the constellation of Perseus. It is the easternmost of the Double Cluster with NGC 869. NGC 869 and 884 are often designated h and χ Persei, respectively. I pulled one of my older travel scopes out of its case, it hadn’t seen light since the 2017 Solar Eclipse…decided to shoot through it with my Canon 6D DSLR. The Explore Scientific Carbon Fiber 102mm (FCD100) F7 Triplet APO Refractor with Field Flattener, Bisque MyT robotic Mount, my old Canon 6D worked out great wide field, nearly a 2 x 3 degree field. This was a 12 minute exposure, ISO 1250, taken on 08-19-2020 from my backyard in the city of Dayton, Ohio.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
