My Astrophotography – Caldwell 13

Caldwell 13 (NGC 457 / Owl Cluster or E.T. Cluster)

• Caldwell 13 is the open cluster NGC 457 ~ the famous Owl Cluster or E.T. Cluster in Cassiopeia.
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• It’s one of the most characterful and easily recognisable deep‑sky objects in the northern sky, especially lovely for outreach because people instantly “see” the owl or E.T. shape.
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• There are several alternative names for Caldwell 13, including the Owl Cluster, E.T. Cluster, Dragonfly Cluster, Kachina Doll Cluster, and Phi Cassiopeiae Cluster.
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• Best viewing: Autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere (Cassiopeia high in the sky).
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• Object Name
  C13

• Object Type
  Open Custer

• Constellation
  Cassiopeia

• Magnitude
  +6.4

• Distance
  7,900 light-years

• Resemblance of Caldwell 13 to the Owl Cluster

Telescope:

Mount:

Accessories:

Celestron 8-inch Edge HD

ZWO AM7 (equatorial mount)

ZWO ASIair Plus / PixInsight

Camera:

Guiding:

Filter:

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooling

ZWO ASI1200MM

2″ Optolong L-eNhance

• Date:
  Saturday 3rd October 2026

• Moonlit:
  Last Quarter (22 days old)
  Magnitude: -8.57
  Moonlit: 50%

• Total:
  15’s x 30 subs = 7 minutes

Object :-

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Object :-

Other name :-
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Type :-

Magnitude :–

Distance :-

Constellation :-

Right Ascension :-

Declination :-

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C13

NGC 457 / the Owl Cluster, E.T. Cluster / Dragonfly Cluster / Kachina Doll Cluster / Phi Cassiopeiae Cluster.

Open Cluster

+6.4

7,900 light years / 19 light years across

Cas (Cassiopeia / The Queen)

01h 19m 32s

+58° 17′ 27″

Enlarge on click the map.

(Click the map above for a large view.)