Our Constellation report is an easy way for people to become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated with the various constellations as well as describing the numerous deep sky objects residing in the area. No equipment is required to view the constellations, though a star chart can be quite helpful. This ease of observing makes constellations a natural place to begin your journey to the stars.

This weekend we move on to the constellation Perseus the Hero.

Perseus, at the request of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, flew in on the winged horse Pegasus and rescued their daughter, the princess Andromeda from the clutches of the monster Cetus. For this he was handsomely rewarded. and... of course he got the girl :)

Deep Sky Report

The Double Cluster in Perseus as imaged by Anthony Arrigo of Utah Skies

Ok, let's start things off with one of my absolute favorites, The Double Cluster in Perseus NGC869(mag4.3) and NGC884(mag4.4). These twin gems lie side by side separated by a mere 1/2°. They easily fit in the same telescopic field of view in all but the longest focal length instruments. In binoculars, they are beautiful. In a small telescope, the are beautiful. In a large telescope...words can not describe the beauty. But... I'm gonna try :) In the 25", the Double Cluster appears like diamonds strewn across a black velvet background. They seem to sparkle and shimmer as if electrified...like nothing you've ever seen.

The Double Cluster is pretty easy to find. They sit midway between Perseus and Cassiopeia. Under moderately dark skies, they are clearly visible to the naked eye as a "fuzzy" patch of light between the two constellations.

I took the accompanying image in April of 2002. They are without a doubt among the finest deep sky objects in all the heavens. And... they'll be well positioned overhead for the next several months.

Here's an effort by Don Brown; there sure are alot of stars in that field of view!

The two images above focus on the individual components of the Double Cluster. NGC869 on the left and NGC884 on the right. Both images were taken on 8/26/03 by Utah Skies own Anthony Arrigo through a 150mm Orion Argonaut (Mak-Cass) using a Sony DSC-F717 digital camera. The exposures were 30 seconds each using eyepiece projection to 225x.

Next we'll hit a Reflection Nebula/Star Cluster combination designated as IC348(mag7.4). Located by mag4 Omicron Persei, this interesting little object should be fairly easy for you to track down. Not that you'd no it from the picture, but this object emits very strongly in the x-ray regions. More than 100 defined x-ray points have been detected.

Open Star Cluster M34 as imaged by J. W. Mulchin

Moving on, we come to Open Star Cluster M34(mag5.2) This beautiful little cluster is much more subtle than the Double Cluster. I think it's very interesting that Messier found this cluster, but not the Double Clusters located just to the north. But.. he did. Anyway... This cluster has about 50 members which are probably best viewed at low to medium power. As you study this object, notice how many double stars are grouped in this cluster. Many of them would be on a double star observers list were they not part of this beautiful little cluster.
To find M34, simply travel about 5* northwest of Algol.

Here's a beautiful shot of M34 by J.W. Mulchin. This guy does some really nice work. You should checkout his website.

Planetary Nebula M76 as imaged by Al Kelly

Let's continue with Planetary Nebula M76(mag12.1) This is a beautiful little nebula. It is loaded with loads of subtle details. Also known as The Little Dumbbell M76 is about the same size as M27. Due to its greater distance, though it appears quite a bit smaller. Visible in telescopes as small as about 90mm under dark skies, this object overflows with details as you increase the aperture.

Checkout this beautiful image by Al Kelly.

Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, Irregular Galaxy NGC1275(mag11.6) Irregular Galaxy NGC1275 and neighbors This galaxy is located near the center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster -- a group of some 530 members. Depending on the size of your telescope and the quality of your skies, you'll see many, many galaxies clumped together in this region

Good Luck!