NGC 6866: Open Star Cluster (Cygnus) RA: 20h 03.9m / DEC: +44° 09'.5 Instrument: 10-inch Starfinder |
Ten objects in Cygnus are included in the Astronomical League's Herschel 400 observing list. NGC 6866 is one of seven open clusters in that group. The sketch at left presents a 129X view in my 10-inch, f/4.5 Newtonian. The cluster is centered. The 6' diameter stellar collection features eleven 11th and 12th magnitude stars arranged in an interesting pattern. The best description I've found is that this grouping resembles the heel at the end of a sword. It's really quite striking to see. Another 67 stars are shown scattered across the field. You'll find NGC 6866 about 3.5 degrees east-southeast from 2.9 magnitude Delta (18) Cygni. |
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