NGC 7510 is an open star cluster in the constellation of Cepheus. It’s best viewed during the autumn. Some say it resembles an arrow, while others refer to it as the Lobster Claw cluster. I tend to see it as a firework sailing across the sky.
The cluster lies more than 11,000 light-years away from Earth, farther than many of the brighter clusters viewable in binoculars and smaller scopes. Due to this distance, gas and dust block some of NGC 7510’s light heading our way—much like fog at night dimming the light of an approaching car. When viewing this cluster, you are looking past the Orion Arm of the Milky Way and into the Perseus Arm. Very cool.
My Observations
| Date | November 8, 2020 |
| Time | 9:05 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 169x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 12mm |
| Seeing | Good |
| Transparency | Good |
November 12, 2022, at 9:15 p.m. observation: I think this is becoming one of my favorite small star clusters. At higher magnifications, one can see an arrow. Tonight, I see it as something different, a firework sailing across the sky. The brightest star, at its head, leaves behind two somewhat parallel streaming tails of dimmer stars.
November 8, 2020, at 9:05 p.m. observation: While scanning through the Cepheus region tonight, NGC 7510 caught my eye. While using the 20mm eyepiece, I noticed a small patch of stars. Upon increasing the magnification using my 12mm eyepiece, I make out the arrow-like appearance of the cluster.
Key Stats
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Best Viewing | Autumn |
| Visual Magnitude | +7.9 |
| Apparent Size | 6 arcmin |
| Distance from Earth | 11,000 ly |
| Milky Way Location | Perseus Arm |
| My Viewing Grade | A- |
Sources and Notes
Photo of NGC 7510 is provided by the digital Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SSDS) at https://www.sdss.org/. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
The Garden Astronomer 