Open Clusters

Open star clusters are beautiful astronomical objects that are excellent for astrophotography. These clusters of stars consist of a few dozen to thousands of stars.
My focus is on the Melotte Catalogue, but I also select additional objects.

Open Clusters consist of a few dozen to thousands of stars that have formed from shared hydrogen gas clouds. Over the course of a few hundred million years, they gradually disperse, making them an exciting and visually appealing target for observation due to their variety and diversity.

The Melotte Catalogue, compiled in 1915 by the Belgian-British astronomer Philibert Jacques Melotte, contains a total of 245 star clusters. It offers astrophotographers a rich selection of objects, which are often less well-known than the Messier objects but represent equally captivating subjects.
Caldwell 10 - Melotte 11 - NGC 663

Caldwell 10

NGC 663 is an open cluster located in the constellation Auriga, approximately 19,386 light-years away from Earth. This stellar object reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight at the end of October ...
C14 - Caldwell 14, Melotte 13 and Melotte 14

Caldwell 14

Caldwell 14, also known as the Double Cluster, is a stunning pair of open star clusters located in the constellation Perseus, appearing as two adjacent patches of light in the night sky and reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around November 1st ...
Caldwell 16, Melotte 240, NGC 7243

Caldwell 16

NGC 7243 is an open cluster located in the constellation Lacerta, approximately 2,800 light-years away from Earth. This stellar object reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight at the end of August. Around August 25th to be more exact ...
Hyades - Caldwell 41

Caldwell 41 – Hyades

The Hyades is the nearest open star cluster to our Solar System, located in the constellation Taurus, approximately 153 light-years away from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight at the end of November ...
Caldwell 50 - Melotte 47

Caldwell 50

Caldwell 50, also known as NGC 2244, is an open star cluster located within the Rosette Nebula in the constellation Monoceros, approximately 5,219 light-years away from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight at the end of December ...
M29 - Messier 29 - NGC 6913

Messier 29

Messier 29 is an open star cluster located in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan), approximately 13,050 light-years away. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in late July ...
M34 - Messier 34 - Melotte 17 - NGC 1039

Messier 34

M34 is an open cluster in Perseus, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around November 5th ...
Messier 35 - M35

Messier 35

Messier 35 is a large open star cluster located in the constellation Gemini, approximately 2,800 light-years away from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around end-December ...
Open Starcluster M37 - Messier 37 - Melotte 38 - NGC 2099

Messier 37

Messier 37 is a bright open star cluster located in the constellation Auriga, approximately 4,511 light-years away from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around December 20th ...
Messier 39. M39

Messier 39

Messier 39 is a large open star cluster located in the constellation Cygnus, approximately 800 light-years away from Earth. This celestial object reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight mid of August. Specifically around August 13th ...
Open Starcluster Beehive Cluster - M44 - Messier 44 - Melotte 88 - NGC 2632

Messier 44 – Beehive Cluster

Messier 44, also known as the Beehive Cluster, is an open star cluster located in the constellation Cancer, approximately 610 light-years away from Earth. The cluster reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around late January ...
Messier 45, M45, The Pleiades

Messier 45 – Pleiades

The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is an open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus, approximately 410 light-years from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight at the end of November ...
Messier 67

Messier 67

Messier 67 is an ancient open cluster located approximately 2,700 light-years away in the constellation Cancer that reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed around End January ...
Messier 103 - Melotte 8

Messier 103

Messier 103, a young open star cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia, approximately 8,000 light-years away, encompasses a group of about 40 blue and white stars, reaching its annual culmination around astronomical midnight around October 19th ...
NGC 2158

NGC 2158

NGC 2158 is a distant and densely packed open star cluster located in the constellation Gemini, approximately 16,500 light-years away from Earth, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight end of december ...
NGC 2281

NGC 2281

NGC 2281 is an open star cluster in the constellation Auriga, located about 1,720 light-years from Earth, and reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed end of december ...
NGC 6633

NGC 6633

NGC 6633 is an open star cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus, approximately 880 light-years away from Earth ...
NGC 6939

NGC 6939

NGC 6939 is an open star cluster located in the constellation Cepheus, about 3860 LJ away and reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight end of July ...
NGC 6940 - Melotte 232

NGC 6940

NGC 6940 is an open cluster located in the constellation Vulpecula, approximately 2,510 light-years away from Earth. This cluster reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight end of July. Around July the 29th to be more exact ...

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