NGC 663 is a bright and prominent open cluster that stands out in the night sky. It is a grouping of about four hundred mostly large, bright, and bluish stars. The cluster’s appearance is striking, with its stars arranged in a distinctive pattern that can be observed through telescopes or even binoculars under good viewing conditions. On exceptionally dark nights, NGC 663 might even be visible to the naked eye, making it an attractive target for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers alike.
Names and Catalog numbers
– NGC 663
– Caldwell 10
– Melotte 11
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
NGC 663 is situated in the northern celestial hemisphere, within the boundaries of the constellation Auriga. It is part of a rich star-forming region in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The cluster is surrounded by other notable deep-sky objects, including several other open clusters and nebulae, making this area of the sky particularly interesting for astrophotographers seeking to capture wide-field images of multiple celestial objects.
Nice to Know
1. NGC 663 is one of the brightest open clusters in the constellation Auriga, making it a popular target for amateur astronomers.
2. The cluster contains a high proportion of Be stars, which are hot, rapidly rotating stars that show emission lines in their spectra.
3. NGC 663 is estimated to be around 20-25 million years old, making it a relatively young open cluster.
4. The cluster’s stars are arranged in a distinctive pattern that some observers describe as resembling a Christmas tree.
Brightness, distance and size
NGC 663 has an apparent magnitude of 7.1, making it visible through binoculars or small telescopes under good viewing conditions. The cluster is located approximately 19,386 light-years away from Earth, placing it within our Milky Way galaxy. NGC 663 spans about 16 light-years in diameter, which translates to an angular size of about 16 arcminutes in the night sky, roughly half the apparent diameter of the full Moon.
