A densely populated open star cluster containing about 200 stars at a distance of 5,000 light years. In the Messier canon, only M11 and M67 are more densely compacted open clusters. This cluster is in the same field as the "Bubble Nebula" using a wide angle eyepiece or camera.
Open Star Cluster M52 in Cassiopeia
Date Taken:October 2, 2008
Location Taken: Conditions of Location:FWHM 1.91
Equipment Used:14.5" Ritchey-Chretien telescope, SBIG STL11000 CCD camera, Astrodon RGB filters, TCC, PIR, remote guide head used with Takahashi Sky90 for autoguiding, T-Point used for polar alignment (required for each imaging session due to my portable setup) with 0.7' polar alignment accuracy after two 12-star mapping runs.
Processing Used:7x200 seconds luminance, 10x90 seconds RGB (total exposure time of 70 minutes), 1x1 binning, combined in Maxim and processed in Photoshop, periodic Paramount mount error +1.9/-3.1
Distance from Location:5,000 light years
Constellation:Cassiopeia (mythological wife of King Cepheus)
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