The Double Cluster approximately marks the illuminated point of the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks annually around August 12 or 13. Although easy to locate in the northern sky, observing the Double Cluster in its two parts requires optical aid. They are an "awe-inspiring" and "breathtaking" sight, and are often cited as a target in astronomy observer's guides

This image was taken with a Canon 40D and 8" Ritchey Chretien Astrograph with 0.8mm focal reducer.Exposure settings are 20 x 180 seconds @ ISO 1600 captured in Nebulosity and aligned and stacked. Processing in Images Plus and Photoshop CS5.

Where to find The Double Cluster

The Double Cluster in Perseus is a truly magnificent sight. This pair of open clusters which can be viewed in the same field of view can just be seen with the naked eye in good conditions. Cassiopeia is a good pointer to the object as shown in this diagram. Watch that you are using the right orientation as Cassioppiea is seen at different angles depending on the time of night or date of year you are viewing it. (As it is a W shape it can confuse things! )

NGC 7789 was discovered by Caroline Herschel and is one of the oldest open star clusters known ( about 1.6 billion years old ). It is situated in Cassiopeia among many stars of the Milky Way Galaxy, although the compact nature of this open cluster makes it easy to identify. It contains about 1000 stars of varying ages, with several older red giants being easily visible.

This image was taken with a Canon 40D and 8" F/8 Ritchey Chretien Astrograph on an EQ6 Pro mount. Exposure settings are 20 x 2 mins. @ ISO 1600 captured, aligned and stacked in Nebulosity. 10 dark frames were subtracted. Processing in Images Plus and Photoshop CS5.

The distance to M52 is not well known, and estimates range from a distance of about 3,900 light-years to about 5,000 light-years away. M52 has a diameter of about 15 to 19 light-years. The brightest member of the star cluster is a magnitude 8.2 yellow G-type giant, while most of the stars are blue-white B3 main sequence stars. M52 has an estimated age of 35 million years to about 50 million years old.

This image was taken with a Canon 40D DSLR and 8" Ritchey Chretien Astrograph @ F/8. Exposure settings are 15 X 2 minutes @ ISO 1600. Images captured,aligned and stacked in Nebulosity and processed in Images Plus and Photoshop CS5.

Of the 200 or so  globular clusters that survive today, M3 is one of the largest and brightest, easily visible in the Northern hemisphere with binoculars. M3 contains about half a million stars, most of which are old and red. Light takes about 35,000 years to reach us from M3, which spans about 150 light years.

This image was taken with a Canon 40D and light pollution filter connected to an F/8 Ritchie Cretien Astrograph. Images taken in Nebulosity, 20 x 45 seconds @ ISO 1600 with 10 dark frames subtracted. Processing in Images Plus and Photoshop CS5.