Sky & Telescope - November 2023 - 55

the central region included five reddishorange
stars. I saw one southeast of
center, a pair farther eastward, plus two
ruddy sparks to the west and southwest
in the gap between the clusters.
The western cluster, NGC 869, is more
densely packed and brighter than its
sibling. NGC 869 boasts two 6.6-magnitude
leaders - one northeast of the core
and the other near the center. The latter
marks the beaming face of the Parachute
Man, a 3′-long pattern that years
ago caught the eye of my late observing
friend Lance Olkovick. The parachute
is formed by a tight curve of five stars,
while other stars suggest a torso and legs.
Lance's Parachute Man resolved in the
refractor at 100× and in the reflector at
75×. Give the little guy a try!
Taking Stock
There's more to see in Double Cluster
country. To begin with, it's impossible
to miss ΟΣΣ 25 just west of NGC 869.
ΟΣΣ 25 comprises 6.5- and 7.4-magnitude
stars a spacious 102.8″ apart,
slanted north-northeastward.
Using the refractor at 50×, I followed
the aim of ΟΣΣ 25 past NGC 869
to yellowish, 6th-magnitude 7 Persei,
then northward to similar 8 Persei, and
onward to a chain of stars arcing northwestward.
I hopped along the gentle
curve to a no-name double (I call it the
Pebbles) of 9.7- and 10.1-magnitude
stars separated by 38″. Slightly less than
½° farther, I spied a recognized binary,
Σ230, comprising 7.9- and 9.4-magnitude
stars 23.8″ apart. From Σ230, I
continued to a 6.4-magnitude star that
terminates the chain.
Powering back down to 30×, I turned
northward across the Perseus-Cassiopeia
border to 7.6-magnitude HD 13437
(it comes with a wide, 9.4-magnitude
partner). HD 13437 sits on the southwestern
edge of a sprawling cluster
named Stock 2. The refractor framed a
starry scatter 1° in diameter; the reflector
at 41× produced about 100 stars
down to approximately magnitude 11.
To my eye, the chain-and-cluster combo
invoked a blossoming flower opened to
the northeast. Buzzing the flower from
that direction was a bee symbolized
by the double ΟΣΣ 26, whose 7.0- and
7.3-magnitude stars, 62.9″ apart, point
toward the cluster.
Soaking up the scenery, I realized
that ΟΣΣ 26 exhibits essentially the
same slant as ΟΣΣ 25, the spacious set
west of the Double Cluster. Ditto for the
twin leaders inside NGC 869. All three
pairs are of similar brightness. Nice!
Eastward and Southward
From the Double Cluster, I shifted
my gaze 1½° east-northeastward to a
Cassiopeia-like W asterism of five stars
ranging in magnitude from 6.6 to 8.1.
The faintest is HJ 2143, which turns
out to be a double whose 9.6-magnitude
secondary lies 23.5″ northward of the
primary. HJ 2143 is also the end point
of several 8th- and 9th-magnitude stars
that arc into my next target - a small,
barely perceptible open cluster.
That pale specimen is NGC 957.
Its 100-plus stars are all fainter than
11.0-magnitude. However, photos show
a prominent portion concentrated
north of HJ 2143. My refractor working
at 60× unveiled a ghostly mist
elongated east-west hugging HJ 2143;
upping to 100× partially resolved the
mist into several extremely faint stars.
The reflector at 41× registered a grainy
cloud perhaps 10′ across, and the grain
sharpened with magnification. At 135×,
I beheld a delicate sprinkle of stardust -
hardly dazzling, but not bad.
A 12
/3° drop south-southeastward
located Trumpler 2, another group
of 100-plus stars. Yeah, right! In my
backyard optics, Tr 2 was sparse, ragged,
and slender. I dubbed it the Fedora.
The hat's rim traces along nine 8thto
10th-magnitude stars in a slightly
curvy, east-west line 19′ long. On the
rim I saw a 7.7-magnitude orange
star anchoring a triple system named
+60°
OΣΣ 26
4
5
6
7
8
9
CASSIOPEIA
Stock 2
Σ230
+58°
957
884
HJ 2143
PERSEUS
η
11
Tr 2
Σ270
ARY 72
Σ268
9
Double Cluster
10
+56°
7
8
869
ΟΣΣ 25
5
+54°
2h 50m
2h 40m
2h 30m
2h 20m
2h 10m
CLUSTER COUNTRY Perseus climbs high overhead every autumn. Plotted here in northern
Perseus are several star clusters - including the famous Double Cluster - within a few degrees
of each other. The glittering Double Cluster was the author's starting point; note how the pair form
a right-angle triangle with the much fainter clusters NGC 957 and Trumpler 2.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * NOVEMBER 2023 55
Star magnitudes

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Sky & Telescope - November 2023

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