M 52
OPEN STAR CLUSTER
Right Ascension:
23h 24m 12s
Best Seen:
7/15-3/15
Declination:
61º 35' 00"
Magnitude:
7.3
Computer File:
m52
Constellation:
Cassiopeia
Actual
Compared to
Distance
5,200 l.y.
--
Actual Brightness
--
--
Number of stars
200
--
Diameter
19 l.y.
--
Age
35 million years
--
Integrated Spectral Type
--
--
WHAT TO LOOK FOR THROUGH THE TELESCOPE:
-
Recommended eyepiece: 40mm or 80 mm.
-
When people look through the telescope the cluster will appear as a group of individual stars; much like sugar or salt sprinkled on a table top.
M 52 INFORMATION:
-
This cluster was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774.
-
The estimated distance to M52 varies: much of the light from M52 has been absorbed by gas and dust between us and the cluster. It is difficult to determine just how much light has been absorbed, so it is difficult to estimate the distance to the cluster. A distance of about 5,000 light years is the best estimate so far.
-
Average separation of stars in this cluster is about 1 light year.
Item
Updated
Notes
Coordinates
01-05-03
tweaked a bit
Distance
01-05-03
some variation, but OK with http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m052.html
Actual Brightness
Number of Stars
01-05-03
some variation, but OK with http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m052.html
Diameter
01-05-03
previous 10-15 l.y. – BUT with 5,000 ly distance adopted, it’s 19 ly according to http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m052.html
Age
01-05-03
OK with http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m052.html
Integrated Spectral Type
Other Information
01-05-03
from http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m052.html
Also, previously said M52 comparable age to Pleiades, however, SEDs site on Pleiades says 1993 calculations say Pleiades age is about 100 million years