NGC 659 - Cassiopeia

NGC659 - Cúmulo del Ying Yang - en la IA

NGC 659 is a small, young open cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia. Here's a breakdown of its key characteristics:

• Type: Open Cluster
• Constellation: Cassiopeia
• Right Ascension: 01h 44m 24s
• Declination: +60° 40' 12"
• Distance: Approximately 8,000 light-years (2.5 kpc) from Earth.
• Age: Estimated to be quite young, only about 5 million years old.
• Notable Features:
  • Relatively sparsely populated, with only about 80 confirmed members.
  • Contains several bright, hot blue stars (O and B-type) that dominate its appearance. These stars are responsible for ionizing the surrounding gas, which sometimes makes the cluster appear embedded in faint nebulosity.
  • Lies near the larger, more prominent open cluster NGC 663, but the two are not physically associated. They appear close together only due to line-of-sight alignment.

What makes it interesting?

The youth of NGC 659 makes it a valuable object for studying the formation and early evolution of open clusters and massive stars. The presence of the hot blue stars and any associated nebulosity can provide insights into the star formation process.

How to observe it?

NGC 659 is a challenging object for small telescopes and binoculars due to its small size and relatively faint stars. A telescope of at least 6-8 inches in aperture is recommended, and even then, it will appear as a small, concentrated patch of stars against the background sky. It is best viewed under dark, clear skies. Lower magnification is better for resolving individual stars.

In summary: NGC 659 is a small, young open cluster in Cassiopeia, containing hot blue stars, that is of interest to astronomers studying star formation.