Double Cluster – an observing session doesn’t feel complete without a view of the double cluster. This is a set of clusters physically located together in space, they are bright and known since antiquity where Hipparchus catalogued it and Ptolemy, writing in his Almagest, noted them as a Little Cloud or Misty spot. The Double Cluster represents the jewelled handle in the sword Perseus used to slay Medusa the Gorgon.
884 – has yellow & orange stars while 869 to the north has blue/white. Mag 3.7
Trumpler 2 – small but bright cluster surrounding a red star
B201- A dark nebula appeared on Chart 1 of Barnard’s Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way. Barnard wrote:
Mirfak & Mellotte 20 – Mirfak is Alpha Persei, Mag. 1.8, the Alpha Persei moving group
Melotte 20 is a large, nearby group of related stars in Perseus. Not exactly an open cluster, it is also known as the Alpha Persei Moving Group, and as the Perseus OB3 Association. This moving cluster was probably first catalogued as a nebulous object by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654. It was described as a stellar group by Eddington 1910, and catalogued by Melotte in 1915. I see it as a chandelier type grouping surrounding Alpha Persei.
Algol or Beta Persei, at magnitude 2.1, is usually the second-brightest star in Perseus. It is one of the best known eclipsing binaries, and the first such star to be discovered. Known in English as the Demon Star, the name Algol derives from Arabic “ra’s al-ghul,” meaning “head of the ghoul”, likely due to the star’s peculiar behaviour. Algol is actually a three-star system (designated β Per A, B and C) about 93 light years away. Algol’s magnitude is usually near-constant at 2.1, but regularly dips to 3.4 during the roughly 10-hour long partial eclipses.
M34 – A 5.5 mag. open cluster in the constellation Perseus discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654, and rediscovered by Charles Messier in 1764. M 34 can be found just north of the line from Algol (β Per) to Almach (γ And). The 20 brightest stars in M 34 form three distinctly curved arms, filling a 10′ area, radiating out from the centre. These are surrounded by a larger number of fainter outlying members including many optical doubles.
M76 – The little Dumbbell Nebula, a moniker for it’s comparison to M27 the Dumbell Nebula, Discovered by Mechain in 1780, who reported it to Charles Messier, who observed it and added it to his catalogue as number 76. At 10th mag. It is among the more challenging Messier objects and its location just NE of Phi Persei doesn’t help.
Galaxies – NGC 1003, 1023, 1058
- A strong of 3 galaxies running SW of M34, these are 2 11th Magnitude galaxies sandwiching 9.5 1023
NGC 1528 – Great OC
- Faintly visible naked eye and awesome in binoculars…less so in scopes which spread the stars out too much.
NGC 1491 – Fossil Footprint
- Emission nebula with star, OIII shows the central bar well while UHC shows greatest extent.
Perseus Galaxy Cluster – Centred on 11th magnitude NGC 1275
- Also catalogued as Perseus A for it’s radio and X-Ray emissions
California Nebula NGC 1499
- I’ve observed this huge, almost 3-degree nebula, many times in everything from small binoculars to large telescopes. Best view has always been in my 5-inch APO with HB filter.
Sh2-216 Largest and closests PN
- Observed this last autumn with Mike’s 12-inch and the 32mm Masuyama
NGC 1333, Barnard 2/3/5 and IC 348 – Great Photographic Regions
Other Stars of Interest
Zeta – Brightest Star in the Zeta Persei group which the California Nebula is embedded within
Eta – Double
T & y (lower case greek) – variables
Y Capital – Carbon Star
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