NGC 663 - Open Cluster in Cassiopeia
Taken by Tom Wildoner on September 19, 2025 @
Weatherly, PA, USA
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Camera Used: Unavailable Unavailable
Exposure Time: Unavailable
Aperture: Unavailable
ISO: Unavailable
Date Taken: 2025:11:27 08:11:04
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Details:
NGC 663 is a bright, richly populated open star cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 6,800 light-years from Earth. Estimated to be around 20–25 million years old, it contains several hundred young, hot B-type stars whose collective light gives the cluster its striking bluish appearance. NGC 663 is also known for hosting an unusually large number of Be stars—rapidly rotating stars with gaseous disks—making it a valuable target for studying early stellar evolution and rotational effects. Easily visible through small telescopes as a dense, sparkling patch of stars, NGC 663 forms part of a trio of nearby clusters in the Cassiopeia region, offering amateur and professional astronomers alike a vivid glimpse into the dynamics of young stellar populations.
Tech Specs: Orion 8” RC Telescope, ZWO ASI071MC camera running at 0F, 81 x 60 second exposures, Celestron CGX-L pier mounted, ZWO EAF and ASIAir Pro, processed in DSS and PixInsight. Image Date: September 19, 2025. Location: The Dark Side Observatory (W59), Weatherly, PA, USA (Bortle Class 4).
Photographer's website:
https://thedarksideobservatory.com
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