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(IAAC) Obj: M48 (open cluster) - Inst: 13" f/5.6 Newtonian



Observer: Steve Coe
Your skill: Expert
Date and UT of observation: 13 Apr 1990
Location & latitude: 100 miles SW of Phoenix
Site classification: rural
Limiting magnitude (visual): 7
Seeing: 8/10
Moon up (phase?): no
Instrument: 13" f/5.6
Magnification: 60X
Filters used: None
Object: M48
Category: OC
Constellation: Hya
Object data:
RA/DE:
Description:
This bright cluster can be seen naked eye from
the best sites and was fairly easy on this excellent night.
I could resolve 12 stars in the 11X80 finderscope.  Using
the 13" and a Giant Erfle 38mm eyepiece I saw it as:
very bright, very large, pretty rich, little compressed and
composed of stars of 9th to 13th magnitude.  There is no
fuzzy background of stars, so it seems the 13" will resolve
all the stars in the cluster, even at this low power.  I
counted 61 members and there are several lovely chains of
stars, including 7 stars in an arch or boomerang shape in
the center.  Very nice cluster.