Star Clusters
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters s, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain fewer than a few hundred members, and are often very young. Open clusters become disrupted over time by the gravitational influence of giant molecular clouds as they move through the galaxy, but cluster members will continue to move in broadly the same direction through space even though they are no longer gravitationally bound
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The Double Cluster in Perseus
The Double Cluster (also known as Caldwell 14) is the common name for the naked-eye open clusters NGC 884 and NGC 869. These clusters are at distances of 7600 and 6800 light-years away, respectively, so they are also close to one another in space. The clusters’ ages, based on their individual stars, are relatively young. NGC 869 is 5.6 million years old and NGC 884 is 3.2 million years old.
Telescope: Officina Stellare Veloce RH200
Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO
Guiding: TS-OAG9 / Lodestar
Camera: ATIK 383L+ Mono
Filters: Baader LRGB
Total Exposure: 4 h
Subexposures: LRGB (3min)
Location: Mt Parnon / July 2012
