Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  10 Per  ·  7 Per)  ·  7 chi Per  ·  8 Per  ·  Double cluster  ·  HD13716  ·  HD13744  ·  HD13758  ·  HD13784  ·  HD13824  ·  HD13831  ·  HD13841  ·  HD13854  ·  HD13866  ·  HD13881  ·  HD13890  ·  HD13900  ·  HD13910  ·  HD13929  ·  HD13969  ·  HD13970  ·  HD14012  ·  HD14013  ·  HD14014  ·  HD14026  ·  HD14039  ·  HD14051  ·  HD14052  ·  HD14053  ·  HD14092  ·  And 55 more.
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Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884), Joe Matthews
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Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884)

Revision title: Double Cluster reprocessed and Cropped

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Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884), Joe Matthews
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Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884)

Revision title: Double Cluster reprocessed and Cropped

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I wasn't happy with the original and had time to reprocess, I deleted the original and the final cropped version I like the best.
This was my First image after my Prostatectomy on October 12, the first night my wife left me lift my mount and WilliamOptics Zenith Star 61ii, I felt great getting back to normal, so to speak.  I plan to use my William Optics FLT 91 to image the Doubler Cluster, possibly tonight or the next two nights.

The Double Cluster, or Caldwell 14, is the name for two open clusters – NGC 869 and NGC 884 – located close together in Perseus constellation. Also known as h Persei and χ Persei (h and Chi Persei), the clusters both lie at an approximate distance of 7,600 light years from Earth and are about 12.8 million years old.With an apparent magnitude of 3.7/3.8, the Double Cluster is visible even without binoculars in good conditions, but best observed with binoculars or small telescopes. It is easy to find in the sky because it lies just to the east of the familiar W asterism in Cassiopeia constellation, between the stars Ruchbah(Delta Cassiopeiae) in Cassiopeia and Miram (Eta Persei), which marks the pointed top of Perseus. The cluster lies near the radiant of the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks annually in mid-August. It is circumpolar from most northern locations.

NGC 869, NGC 884 - Double Cluster
The open star clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884 (also known as h and χ Per) form the famous Double Cluster in Perseus. The clusters mark the Scimitar with which Perseus decapitated the Medusa.The famous double cluster in Perseus has perhaps been known since pre-historic times, and was first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Hipparcos in 130 B.C. For unknown reasons, Messier did not include the Double Cluster in his famous catalogue.There is some historical confusion about the designations h and χ Persei. Since the 1840s, the name χ Per is attributed to NGC 884, and h Per to NGC 869. However, Tycho Brahe probably measured one position for the "nebulous star" that is actually the double cluster, and Johann Bayer designated this "star" as Chi. Probably, Bayer used the name h Per for a fainter star nearby.These two clusters are a stunning sight in low power, wide field eyepiece. Each cluster is half a degree in diameter. NGC 869 is the more compressed of the two, and has over 200 white and bluish-white members. NGC 884 to the east has 175 mostly white and bluish-white stars. NGC 884 contains about 150 stars, and judging from its stellar population, is significantly older than NGC 869.Both clusters are situated in the Perseus OB 1 association. At a distance of about 7000 light years, the clusters are only a few hundred light-years apart. They are both quite young, with NGC 869 being 5.6 million years old and NGC 884 at 3.2 million years old. Their hottest main sequence stars are of spectral type B0. By comparison, the Pleiades have an estimated age ranging from 75 million years to 150 million years.Both clusters are also blue-shifted, with NGC 869 approaching Earth at a speed of 22 km/s and NGC 884 approaching at a similar speed of 21 km/s.

@Information from SkySafari

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  • Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884), Joe Matthews
    Original
  • Final
    Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884), Joe Matthews
    C

C

Title: Double Cluster reprocessed and Cropped

Description: I think I like this version and for now it is my final version with my William Optics ZenithStar 61. I am still going to get new data with my William Optics FLT91

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Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC869, NGC884), Joe Matthews