NGC 6885, also known as Caldwell 37, is an open star cluster in the constellation Vulpecula, best viewed in summer and early autumn.
The cluster resides in the same sky neighborhood as Messier 27, NGC 6882, NGC 6940, and IC 4954. In particular, NGC 6885 and NGC 6882 are often regarded as a single cluster. One can distinguish the two by locating the two stars 19 and 20 Vulpeculae. 20 Vulpeculae lies at the center of NGC 6885, while 19 Vulpeculae lies within the more compact NGC 6882.
My Observations
| Date | August 4, 2021 |
| Time | 10:35 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 85x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 24mm |
| Seeing | Above Average |
| Transparency | Average |
This is a run-of-the-mill open star cluster that appears to be spread out more than the average ones I’ve viewed. A 24mm or lower eyepiece is best when viewing. As illustrated in my drawing, there is a bright star in the center of the field (20 Vulpecula), which makes this target a little more interesting than other clusters.
Key Stats
| Constellation | Vulpecula |
| Best Viewing | Fall |
| Visual Magnitude | +8.1 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -7.8 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,900 ly |
| Diameter | 11.3 ly |
| Apparent Size | 20 arcmin |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | B |
| Designations | Caldwell 37, C37 |
Sources and Notes
Banner photo of cluster is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Photo by Roberto Muro. Details here.
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
The Garden Astronomer 