Open cluster in Cassiopeia

This is a small group of about 30 stars, one of many open clusters in the star-rich regions of the Milky Way that pass through Cassiopeia. It is less than a degree to the northeast of the larger and brighter Owl Cluster (NGC 457).

Image details:  15 images, each 60 seconds at ISO 1600, taken with a Canon 400D camera through a Meade 12” telescope at f/6.3. 

December 2008