RA: 01h 46m Dec: +61º 15' Mag: 6.4, Size: 8(ly), Distance: 2500(ly)
RA: 01h 46m Dec: +61º 15' Mag: 6.4, Size: 8(ly), Distance: 2500(ly)
NGC 663 is young open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia containing an estimated 400 stars. This cluster also has a large percentage (approximately 24 stars) of 'Be' stars compared to other open clusters. These 'Be' class stars show an emission line near the hydrogen alpha spectrum. The age of the cluster is about 20-25 million years and is also situated in front of a molecular cloud which accounts for producing a murky appearance and muted light from background stars.
| Location |
Backyard, Abbott Observatory - Temperature - Low 50's F |
| Telescope | TMB 130SS Refractor, F/7 on a Losmandy G11, Prime Focus, Image scale 1.68 arcsec/pixel |
| Camera |
SBIG ST-2000XM w/CFW8, AO8 Astrodon Tru Balance Filters CCD temp -15°C |
| Exposure Times | (L) 6 x 10, (R) 6x10, (G) 6x10,(B) 9x10 Minutes, Bin 1x1 |
| Other Information |
Image acquisition/focus/guiding/dither - CCD Autopilot w/CCDSoft Focus - Moonlite Motorfocus w/FocusMax |
| Image Processing |
* CCD Stack- Calibration, Normalize, Alignment, Mean Combine, Deconvolution, Mild DDP * Adobe CS4 - L+RGB combine, Levels, Curves, Sharpening, Cropping, NR, JPEG conversion |
