2012 09 21 – NGC436/H 7.45
2012 09 21, 0500 UT NGC436/H 7.45
Erika Rix – Texas
16” Zhumell reflector f/4.5 on a non-tracking Dobsonian mount, Baader Planetarium Hyperion 8-24mm Mark III (observation at 75-225x magnification – sketch at 225x)
73F, 57% H, 6 mph winds SSE, clear, Pickering 6, T 4/6
Alt 49deg 38´, Az 32deg 30´
Open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia, 01h 15.m, +58deg 49´, Tr Type I 2 m, m5.0´, m8.8v, Also cataloged as: Cr 11, OCL 320, Mel 6, GC 244, Lund 320
Open clusters NGC 457 and NGC 436 barely fit into the FOV using a 13mm Ethos. NCG 436 rests 50´ N of Phi, 40´ of NGC 457. At 225x magnification, I counted 34-35 stars that could be associated with this cluster, tacking on a handful of others in the vicinity. There were three stars forming a strand in the southern region of the cluster with magnitudes 9.62-11.34, the brightest in the center. Starting from the western star of that strand, another strand of stars curves south to north with several multiple stars clustering off the S-N strand to the west.
I’ll have to make a point to sketch the pair of clusters, NGCs 457 and 436, together using the AT Titan some day.
Eyepiece sketch on white photocopy paper with black felt tipped pen for brightest stars, #2 pencil for medium-magnitude stars, and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil for the faintest stars, blending stump for the nebulosity. Template is from the Astronomical League.
PCW Memorial Observatory - Erika Rix 