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h and chi (χ) Persei
Open Star Cluster
| Right Ascension | 2h 21m 00s | Best Seen | 10/15-5/1 |
| Declination | 57° 08' 00" | Magnitude | 4.4 |
| Constellation | Perseus | ||
Actual |
Compared to ... |
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| Distance | ~7,000 ly | -- |
| Diameter | ~70 ly (each) | -- |
| Number of Stars | few thousand | -- |
| Actual Brightness | -- | -- |
| Age | h: 5.6 million years chi: 3.2 million years |
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| Integrated Spectral Type | B0 | G2 V |
| Density (gram/cubic cm) | -- | -- |
What To Look For Through The Telescope
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Recommended eyepiece: 40mm or 80 mm.
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Through the large telescope only one of the clusters can be seen at a time. It will appear as a group of individual stars; much like sugar or salt sprinkled on a table top.
h and χ Persei Information
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This cluster is bright enough to be seen from a dark location even without binoculars.
a. h and χ Persei were probably seen in pre-historic times.
b. This object was catalogued by the Greek astronomer Hipparcos (190-120 B.C.).
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The two clusters are several hundred light years apart, they just happen to be in the same direction when seen from Earth.
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h Persei
a. about 7,100 light years away
b. about 5.6 million years old
c. is approaching us at about 22 kilometers/second (13.6 miles/second)
d. Has a total mass of about 3700 of our suns.
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χ Persei
a. about 7,400 light years distant.
b. about 3.2 million years old
c. is approaching us at about 21 kilometers/second (13 miles/second)
d. Has a total mass of about 2800 suns.
| Home > Star Clusters > Open > H X Persei > Reference | Top |
References
| Item | Updated | Notes |
| Coordinates | 2002-09-23 | tweaked with SIMBAD and seds |
| Distance | 2002-09-23 | tweaked |
| Actual Brightness | -- | |
| Number of Stars | 2002-09-23 | left alone – can’t find support evidence |
| Diameter | 2002-09-23 | left alone – can’t find support evidence |
| Age | 2002-09-23 | left alone – can’t find support evidence |
| Integrated Spectral Type | -- | |
| Other information | 2017-05-07 | https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970129.html http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n0869.html http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ApJ...576..880S |