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NGC457 / Owl Cluster

Classification: Open cluster, C13, H42-7
Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas)
Object Location: Ra 01h 20m 36s Dec +58° 22’27” (current)
Size & Distance: 20.0 x 20.0 Apx 9700 light years.

Date & Location: 10-13-2015 Joshua Tree National Park, CA.
Exposure: RGB, 6 ea. @ 5min (bin 1x1)
Optics: Telescope Engineering Company APO110FL @ f/5.74, 631mm.
Mount: Astro-Physics 1200 GTO / ATS 10x36 pier.
Camera: FLI-MLx694 @-20c / CFW2-7 / Guided by SBIG ST-I / w OAG.
Filters: Astrodon G2 RGB
Software: MaxImDL 6.09, Photoshop CS5, CCDStack 2.82, Topaz Labs.

Notes: Sky conditions: Average seeing, Calm wind, Temps, mid to low 60°
Cropped Image Field of view is 35.8 x 49.3arcmin.
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NGC 457, aka  the Owl Cluster, ET Cluster, or Caldwell 13) is an open star cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787, and lies over 7,900 light years. It has an estimated age of 21 million years. Two bright stars, magnitude 5 Phi-1 Cassiopeiae and magnitude 7 Phi-2 Cassiopeiae can be imagined as eyes. The cluster features a rich field of about 150 stars of magnitudes 12-15.
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