NGC 1513 is an open star cluster in the constellation Perseus. It’s best viewed in the winter.
This is a scattered dim cluster that lies near the brighter and more prominent objects: NGC 1545 and NGC 1528. According to the book Sky Vistas by Craig Crossen, NGC 1513 is faint in part due to a cloud of dust and gas in the foreground.
My Observations
March 11, 2021 | 8:15 p.m.
Seattle, Washington, USA
Meade LX65 8″ ACF, 14mm eyepiece
This is a fairly dim cluster. Compared to the brighter NGC 1528 and the interesting triangle shape in NGC 1545, this object is unremarkable I’m afraid. I’m able to pull out 3-4 bright stars scattered onto a field of 10 or more faint stars.
Key Stats
| When to view | Winter | R.A. (2021) | 04h 11m 30s |
| Constellation | Perseus | Dec (2021) | +49 33′ 15″ |
| Visual Magnitude | +8.39 | Distance | 4,300 ly |
| Absolute Magnitude | -2.21 | Age | ? |
| Apparent Size | 10 arcmin | Milky Way Locations | Orion Spur |
| Diameter | 12.5 ly | My Viewing Grade | B- |
Sources and Notes
Photo of NGC 1513 by Donald Pelletier and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
The Garden Astronomer 