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NGC 663
open cluster in Cassiopeia
NGC 663 is a rich open cluster in Cassiopeia, a young group of a few hundred stars set against a dense Milky Way background. It is bright, and has a good mix of star colors. It sits near the Heart and Soul nebulae.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 663
- Also known as
- C 10, Caldwell 10
- Type
- open cluster
- Constellation
- Cassiopeia
- Size
- 16′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 6.4
- Distance
- about 8,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Oct
- Typical prime months
- Aug to Dec
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Filter
- No filter (broadband)
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image NGC 663
- Use 400 to 800 mm; it is about 16 arcminutes across.
- No filter is needed. Short exposures keep the stars round and colorful.
- It fits into wide fields with IC 1805 and IC 1848 for a mosaic.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 663 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 20% |
| 2,000 mm | about 40% |
| 3,000 mm | about 59% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 663 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 84° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 74° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 64° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 54° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | below horizon | Never rises |
Also worth imaging
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