NGC 2420: Open Star Cluster (Gemini) RA: 07h 38.4m / DEC: +21° 34'.4 Instrument: 10-inch Starfinder |
The sketch at left renders the appearance of NGC 2420 at 129X in my 10-inch reflector. The open cluster is nicely centered in the drawing. The brightest member is a 9th magnitude GSC star perched along the west edge of the cluster. A close pair of 11th and 12th magnitude stars are opposite along the east edge. In between, my drawing records about 25 to 30 faint stars. These presented as a misty glow under direct gaze but were resolved with averted vision. Lynga describes NGC 2420 as 10' in diameter, or about a third again as large as my drawing would indicate. The integrated visual magnitude is 8.3. Some twenty-four stars frame this delicate open cluster in my sketch. You'll find NGC 2420 about 3 degrees south-southwest of 3.6 magnitude Kappa (77) Geminorum. |
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