Name: Todd Vance

Bowie, MD

Date: Sunday, July 9, 2006

Time: 01:45—01:51 EDT

Seeing: 5 (average)

Transparency: 3

Site: Home 38° 54' 51'' N 76° 44' 5'' W

Object: NGC869 and NGC884

Double Cluster

Constellation: Perseus

Instrument: 9x63 Meade Travelview Binoculars 5.8° field of view

Power: 9x

Description:

Centered is NGC869, and below and to the left is NGC884. The former had three visible stars, and the latter 5. It is found by looking at the line formed by Ruchbah (δ Cassiopeiae) and Segin (ε Cassiopeiae). Both just fit in my field of view. I move downward (nearly East) perpendicular to that line by just over the length of that line and find a spray of stars, with what at first looked like three pairs of doubles, but on further looking, the bottom two pairs had more. It is reminiscent of Orion's sword. Perseus's head is just below the field of view. Both are open clusters.

The green line shows where a satellite passed through at 1:50 EDT.