Observation by Martin Butcher: NGC869 & NGC884 - Double Cluster

Uploaded by

Stuart Morris

Observer

Martin Butcher

Observed

2010 Mar 10 - 05:08

Uploaded

2021 Mar 31 - 19:36

Objects

NGC869
NGC884

Equipment
  • Meade LX-90 8" telescope fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge.
  • LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled.
  • Dew Removal straps fitted to telescope and camera lens
  • Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.
  • Stock Canon 40D with 200mm f/2.8 lens stopped down to f/4
  • Telescope driven but unguided
Exposure

Four sub-exposures of 5 minutes taken at ISO800

Location

Isle of Colonsay

Target name

NGC869 and NGC884

Title

NGC869 & NGC884 - Double Cluster

About this image

NGC869 and NGC 884 are two bright open clusters in the constellation of Perseus, Together they are commonly known as the "Double Cluster".

Equipment used:- Stock Canon 40D with 200mm f/2.8 lens stopped down to f/4 mounted piggy-back on Meade LX-90 8" telescope fitted to its field tripod by an equatorial wedge. Telescope polar aligned. LX-90 Periodic Error Correction enabled. Dew Removal straps fitted to telescope and camera lens and operating. Telescope driven and manually guided. Telescope and camera powered by Mains Power.

 

 

 

Exposure details:- Four sub-exposures of 5 minutes taken at ISO800. Ambient temperature minus 8 degrees Celsius.

 

 

 

Processing details:- After quality control, a single exposure was calibrated with Dark, Flat-field and Bias master frames in Images Plus. This image was then further processed in Photoshop CS3 and Noise Ninja. North is at the top.

 

 

 

Narrative description:- Twenty four days after New Moon, the Moon did not rise above hills to the south east until after imaging was completed. The weather was cold, clear and calm with dew that turned to ice. The arrival of Morning Civil Twilight soon after I commenced this sequence of images meant that on subsequent inspection only the first of the exposures was suitable for processing.
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