Star Clusters – Page 6 – The Garden Astronomer

NGC 6830: An Older Cluster Brings New Discoveries

Vulpecula’s NGC 6830 is an older cluster with about 50 dim stars and is located around 5,300 light years away. Though many of its residents are dim, the cluster contains a few brighter stars making this a good target for backyard astronomers with a small to middle size telescope.

Messier 26 (NGC 6694): The Cluster with a Little Hole

Messier 26 (NGC 6694) is an open cluster found in the constellation Scutum. It is best viewed in the summer in the northern hemisphere. Messier 26 is a fainter grouping of around 30 stars.

NGC 6229: A Very Distant Globular Cluster

NGC 6229 is a dim globular cluster in the summer constellation of Hercules. It lies nearly 100,000 light year away in the outer halo of the Milky Way. Still, amateur astronomers using a modest telescope can still view it.

NGC 6633: This Captain Hook Cluster Pulls You In

NGC 6633 is a bright open cluster in Ophiuchus, nearly moon-sized in the sky. A stunning binocular target rich with blue-white stars for summer nights.

IC 4665: Say “Hi” to a Brilliant Star Cluster and a Black Cat

This post summarizes how to view the open star cluster IC 4665, which lies in the summer constellation of Ophiuchus. IC 4665 is a large, course, and young star cluster with 30 stars, which are mostly blue-white or white in color. It’s a great object to view and enjoy with binoculars from the suburbs. Also known as Collinder 349 and Melotte 179.

Messier 14 (NGC 6402): Globular Cluster with an Elongated Glow

Messier 14 (NGC 6402) is a globular cluster in Ophiuchus best viewed in summer. It is slightly elongated in shape and looked fairly dim in my 8-inch SCT scope from the suburbs as my sketch shows. Still, it’s bright enough to see with binoculars from dark skies.

NGC 2129: Gemini’s Youthful Star Cluster

Not much is written about NGC 2129 in Gemini as this is a small cluster, but it houses two bright stars that are likely a binary. And, it’s a very young cluster in our galaxy.

NGC 2506: A Star Cluster in a Black Ocean

NGC 2506 is fainter open cluster in the constellation of Monoceros in winter. Around 150 stars make up the cluster, and it looks best through a telescope. Amateur astronomers also know the cluster by the names Caldwell 54, Melotte 80, and Collinder 170.