#68 Treasures of Monoceros, Part 3: Objects from Other Catalogues

Concluding this series of deep sky objects in Monoceros, I will comment on each of the open clusters from other catalogues besides the NGC.  There is a wealth of material here for a 12" telescope.

oc Bas 7:  5'; Mag. 8.5; Br * 10.4:  Immediately following oc 2251, this cluster features a faint, curving line of stars that leads north to the main body.  It resembles a mini-Draco!  It was not really noticed in my milky, moony, snowy-reflective sky until 100x, though it was better at 125x and 150x.
oc Bas 8:  30'; 50 *s:  7 stars are plotted on Uranometria, the brightest one a double.  This star was orange with a blue companion, and had the most interesting part of the cluster near it.  I counted about 35 *s at 60x.  It was fun hopping north to oc 2251 and back again.  Bas 8 is widely scattered overall, but the south area is richer and more fun to observe.

oc Be 24:  6'; 25 *s; Br. * mag 17:  Impossible from my back deck.  However, in a dark sky a very faint hazy patch was seen.  Good test for observing conditions.
oc Be 37:  4'; 25 *s; Br. * mag 15:  This one is a very small, faint cloud of 12-15 mag. stars, resolving at 200x.  The group makes a triangle with two nearby bright stars, forming the apex.  Even finding it from my back deck was a thrill.
oc Be 39:  8'; 120 *s:  Very faint and difficult to see even at 100x from my light polluted deck.  Resolution occurred at 200x.  In a dark sky this one might be a minor gem.
oc Be 73:  2'; 15 *s; Br. * mag 16:  A small number of very faint stars was seen mostly north of a brighter (mag. 10?) star.  Up to 300x was used with some effectiveness.
oc Be 77:  5'; 30 *s; Br. * 13:  The cluster lies north of a bright star.  The center of it is a very tight knot of 5 mag. 13 and 14 stars.

oc Bi 7:  4'; 30 *s; Br. * mag 14:  Noticed at 100x, the very faint stars were contained within a semi-circle of less faint stars.  Observed up to 250x, it resolves nicely at 200x, showing perhaps a dozen stars.  There is a rich background all around it.
oc Bi 8:  5'; 70 *s; Br. * mag 14:  This elongated group of very faint stars was resolved at 200x and 250x.  15 stars were seen.
oc Bi 9:  3'; 30 *s; Br. * mag 15:  Located at 60x, a hazy patch was noted.  100x begins to resolve stars.  About 20 were seen at 183x, in this dense, very compact cluster.
oc Bi 10:  3'; Mag. 10.4; 20 *s; Br. * 15:  Located at 100x, it was like a nebula surrounding a mag. 10 star.  At 183x and 200x the "nebula" resolved into 8-10 very faint stars, with several in a line on either side of the bright star.
oc Bi 11:  2'; Br. * mag 15:  This tiny cluster lies south-following a bright double star.  6 faint stars are resolved.  A lot of time was spent trying to find the area of this group and Bi 12.
oc Bi 12:  4'; Br. * mag 17:  The haze from this cluster is largely drowned by the surrounding bright star field.  A pair of 9.5 mag. stars lie in the south part of it.  Faint haze was noted, but nothing very distinct.
oc Bi 13:  2'; Br. * mag 17:  A tiny, faint patch of haze was noted, following a bright star.

oc Bo 2:  1'.5; Mag. 9.7; Br. * mag 10.9:  4 stars were noted, 3 of them in a line and of equal mag.  The 4th star was quite dim, and seen at 183x.
oc Bo 3:  4'; Mag. 9.9; 25 *s; Br * 11.2:  Located at 100x, I counted 12 faint stars and 4 brighter ones in a line.

oc ClvdB 1:  5'; Mag. 9.5; 39 *s:   This object consisted of 4 brighter stars and a small group of very faint ones.  200x was best here.  Perhaps 10-12 stars were seen.


oc Cr 91:  14'; Mag. 6.4; 20 *s:  Uranometria plots 4 stars in the boundary of this group.  It is large, with several bright stars, especially 2 of them.  Widely scattered and thinly populated.  Seen best at 60x.
oc Cr 92:  11'; Mag. 8.6:  A large and scattered group, which may not be a true cluster.  A denser knot of fainter stars surrounds an 8.5 mag. star.  At 120x and 150x many more stars were seen.  Medium rich but mostly faint.
oc Cr 95:  27'; 10 *s:  The cluster is seen well at 60x and up to 100x.  15 brighter stars are easily counted and there are other, fainter ones at 100x.  Immersed with gn I. 2169, which is easily noted with a Skyglow filter at 120x.
oc Cr 96:  12'; Mag. 7.3; 15 *s; Br. * mag 8.8:  Another large, loose group best seen at 60x.  One section resembles an arrowhead shape, with 4 or 5 brighter members.  The cluster itself lies in a rich field.  2 stars withing the boundary are shown in Uranometria.
oc Cr 97:  25'; Mag. 5.4; 15 *s:  A wide group with bright members.  Yellow variable star AX is amidst the group, as is Struve 926, opposite the variable.  Best at 60x.
oc Cr 104:  20'; Mag. 9.6; 15 *s:  This decent group shares its following border with Cr 107.  It consists of a large field of relatively bright stars (3 shown in Uranometria), interspersed with dense pockets of fainter, background stars.  A rich area, fine for sweeping at low to medium power, beginning at oc 2244.
oc Cr 106:  35'; Mag. 4.6; 20 *s:    A very large cluster!  7 stars are plotted on the atlas, including V640, called "Plaskett's Star."  Seen well at 60x, I also enjoyed using 100x.  There are many widely scattered bright stars, with 2 areas of fairly intense fainter ones.  One of these groups is on the following end (west) of the cluster, and the other is north-preceding, near a brighter star.  Both knots resolve well.  The entire area is wonderful for casual sweeping and getting happily lost among the stars.
oc Cr 107:  30'; Mag. 5.1; 204 *s; Br. * mag 7.1:  This very large cluster contains V731 and V 732.  11 stars are plotted within its borders on Uranometria.  There are about 30 bright stars, and many more fainter ones.  I viewed it successfully at 43x, 60x, 100x and 120x.
oc Cr 110:  18'; Mag. 10.5; 70 *s; Br. * mag 11:  A widely scattered, faint but busy field of stars, preceding a mag. 8.5 star, one of 2 shown on Uranometria.  The cluster resolves well at 60x.
oc Cr 111:  3'.2; Mag. 7:  A 7 mag. star is surrounded by 7 or 8 really faint ones, best seen at 200x.  Probably not a true cluster.
oc Cr 115:  10'; Mag. 9.2; 25 *s; Br * mag 11:  Viewed at 60x, 100x and 125x, this is a moderately rich cluster of faint stars.  It was fully resolved at 125x, and had an elongated shape.

oc Cr 465:  9'; Mag. 10.1; 30 *s:  A semi-circle of 12-15 faint stars was noted.  Nebulosity was noted using the Skyglow filter.  Located just preceding oc 2343 and south of 2335.  A rich area for sweeping.
oc Cr 466:  4'; Mag. 11.1;25 *s; Br. * mag 11.1:  Not much to see from my back deck.  A very small, very faint group was observed at 200x.  A linear group of 8-10 stars was noted.  There is nebulosity.

oc Cz 26:  5'; 35 *s:  Located north of oc 2232, this was a very faint group.  3 or 4 stars resolved at 120x.  The small group was best at 300x.  Unimpressive in light-polluted skies, except that I did find it.
oc Cz 28 (King 5):  5'; 20 *s:  Immediately following oc Be 37, just past its triangle star (the south one).  It is a slightly easier target than its neighbour, with several stars brighter than those in Be 37.  It resolves nicely at 200x.
oc Cz 30:  3'; 20 *s:  Located south of variable star U and also close to a bright star located S of the cluster.  12 very faint stars were counted at 200x.  The glare of the star south doesn't help with resolution.

oc Do 22:  8'; 10 *s:  Immediately north-preceding star 8, itself a lovely double.  A field of faint stars lies between star 8 and a tiny group resembling a mini-Lyra configuration.  Rewarding area for general sweeping, and very close to oc 2244.  The brighter stars may be part of the cluster.
oc Do 23:  10':  At 100x, the richest part precedes 3 bright stars.  An attractive group, all resolved.
oc Do 24:  15'; 40 *s:  This is a large group with many bright members.  They all resolve at 100x.
oc Do 25:  20'; Mag. 7.6; 50 *s; Br. * 8.9:  Seen well at 60x.  The cluster is very large, and shaped like a wishbone.  The densest area of stars is along the south branch.  A bright star marks the apex.  At 100x, only a few stars were seen between the 2 diverging lines.

oc Haf 3:  5'; Br * 14; 25 *s:  Located 1 degree south of Bo 3, and making a triangle with oc 2338.  The haze resolves at 200x-250x.  The cluster is contained in a "bowl" of 4 stars.  One brighter star (mag. 14?) is in the very center; the cluster surrounds it.

oc Mel 72:  5'; Mag. 10.1; 40 *s; Br. * mag 12:  Even at 60s there is some nice resolution in this unexpectedly fine cluster.  Viewed at 60x, 100x, 125x, 150x, 183x and 200x!  And it was cold out!  This is a faint but dense and rich group.  Though smaller than oc 2324, it is similar.  A bright star is in the field, mag. 7.  183x and 200x resolves the cluster nicely.  Recommended!  Here is a photo.

oc Ru 4:  6'; Br. * mag 14:  A few dozen very faint stars are mixed in with a bright star field.

oc Tr 5:  15'; Mag. 10.9; Br. * 17; 150 *s:  Not even visible from my back deck.  However, from a dark sky this is a pretty amazing object!  Easily seen at 60x, it is a vast area of unresolved haze, with several less faint foreground stars above it.  This one requires a larger scope to resolve, but it is still an amazing object in the 12".  Here is a sweet photo of it.

There you have it--the deep sky treasures of Monoceros!  Let me know if I have inadvertently missed anything.  As soon as the full moon phase has passed, I wish you clear skies!
Mapman Mike