Clear nights in this part of the world are virtually unheard of at present so I have decided to image a few open clusters on the basis I can take lots of short duration subs and even with a high wastage rate I might still end up with an image.

This image was taken on what was forecast to be a cloudless clear night albeit with a 98% Moon. In reality it was far from cloudless and half the RGB subs taken during the evening were wasted due to high and low cloud which failed to show up on any satellite imagery.

Collinder 464 is a 4th magnitude Open Cluster appearing in the constellation Camelopardalis. It contains some pretty interesting stars.

Centre stage is BN Camelopardalis (HD32650), a 5th magnitude Variable Star. It is 378 light years from our solar system. It is a blue-white star of spectral type B9pSi and its energy output is 76 times the Sun's luminosity.

We also have HD 31312, a 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 681 light years from our solar system. It is a red giant of spectral type K5III. Its surface temperature is 4050 Kelvins - 30% cooler than the Sun's - and it is 37.2 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 337 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 1.2 Solar masses. In the same region is HD 31565, a 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 1546 light years from our solar system. It is a red star of spectral type K0 and its energy output is 624 times the Sun's luminosity. Positioned between the two is HD 31590, a 6th magnitude Double Star. It is 558 light years from our solar system. It is a white main-sequence star of spectral type A1V. Its surface temperature is 9395 Kelvins - 1.6 times hotter than the Sun's - and it is 3.9 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 107 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 2.7 Solar masses.

Finally, sneaking in near the left hand side of the image is HD 34450 another 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 1607 light years from our solar system. It is a red giant of spectral type M0.5IIIbBa0.5. Its surface temperature is 3690 Kelvins - 36% cooler than the Sun's - and it is 96.1 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 1545 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 1.2 Solar masses.

I've looked on Astrobin and cannot find any other images of Collinder 464 - maybe I am searching for the wrong thing.

So despite the incessant clouds preventing my first choice of NB imaging at least I got something from a night with the telescope under the stars - or should I say clouds!

Thanks for looking.

Adrian