Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas)  ·  Contains:  IC 166  ·  NGC 654  ·  NGC 663  ·  VdB6
Three clusters in Cassiopeia, Kharan
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Three clusters in Cassiopeia

Three clusters in Cassiopeia, Kharan
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Three clusters in Cassiopeia

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Description

NGC 654 is an open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is 2,400 parsec away. It is a very young cluster, with age approximately 15 million years. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787. With apparent magnitude 6.5, it can be observed by binoculars. It is located 2,5° northeast of the star Delta Cassiopeiae. It surrounds a 7th magnitude yellowish star, an F5Ia supergiant, which is a possible member of the group.

NGC 663, also known as Caldwell 10, is young open cluster of about 400 stars in the Cassiopeia constellation. It has an estimated 400 stars and spans about a quarter of a degree across the sky. After adjusting for reddening due to interstellar dust, the distance modulus is estimated as 11.6 magnitudes. It is located about 2,100 parsecs distant with an estimated age of 20–25 million years. This cluster appears to be located in front of a molecular cloud, although the two are not physically associated.

IC 166 is about 10,750 light years away from us. It's age is estimated to be about 1.32 +/- 0.43 billion years. Wide field images show it is seen at the edge of a weak dark nebula so stars are likely reddened. It's age plus the dust likely account for the rather red color of most of the stars in the cluster.

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Three clusters in Cassiopeia, Kharan