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(IAAC) Obj: NGC 457 - Inst: 13" f/5.6 "Bigfoot" German Eq. mount
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Observer: Steve Coe
Your skills: Advanced (many years)
Date/time of observation: 24 Jan 98
Location of site: Sentinel, AZ (Lat +33, Elev 1800 ft)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 8 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: 13" f/5.6 "Bigfoot" German Eq. mount
Magnification: 100X, 150X
Filter(s): none
Object(s): NGC 457
Category: Open cluster.
Class:
Constellation: Cas
Data: mag size 13'
Position: RA 01:19 DEC +58:20
Description:
In the 11X80 finder this cluster is obvious. A grouping which surrounds
Phi Cas, with 8 stars resolved in the finderscope. At 100X in the 13"
there are 78 stars resolved and the cluster is bright, large, rich,
compressed and fills half of a field of view that is 30 arcmin in size.
The stars in this cluster are 7th mag and fainter. Raising the power
to 150X makes the cluster about 75% of the field of view and it appears
that all the stars have been resolved at this power. There are still about
80 stars in the cluster, but there is no fuzzy background to the grouping.
There is a nice orange star of about 10th mag on the NW side of the cluster.
I know this cluster has been given the name "owl cluster" because of the
bright "eyes" and outstreched wings, but I have always seen a Kachina Doll,
like those made by the Navaho and Hopi tribes in Arizona. Living in the
Southwest for 22 years will change one's perspective.
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