My Astrophotography – Collinder 26 (Cr 26)

Collinder 26 (Melotte 15 / Open Cluster)

  • Collinder 26 is the open cluster better known as Melotte 15, located at the heart of the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) contains a few bright stars in Cassiopeia.
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  • The Heart Nebula (also known as the Running Dog Nebula, Sharpless 2-190) is an emission nebula and located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia.
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  • Object Name
    C26

  • Object Type
    Open Cluster

  • Constellation
    Cassiopeia

  • Magnitude
    6.5

  • Distance
    7,500 light-years

  • Annotated


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Equipment

Telescope:

Mount:

Accessories:

Sky-Watcher Esprint 80ED Triplet

Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASIair Plus / PixInsight

Camera:

Guiding:

Filter:

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooling

ZWO ASI1200MM

2″ Optolong L-eNhance

Bortle Scale: Kelling Heath, Weybourne, North Norfolk (Bortle 4.1)


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Integration

  • Date:
    Tuesday 22nd October 2024
  • Moonlit:
    Waxing Crescent 20 days old
    Magnitude: -12.4
    Moonlit: 70%
  • Total:
    60’s x 200 subs = 3 hours 20 minutes

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Constellation :- Cassiopeia (The Queen)

Object :-

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Other name :-
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Type :-

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Right Ascension :-

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Cr 26

The Heart Nebula / The Running Dog Nebula /
Sh2-190 / Melotte 15 (Mel 15)

Open Cluster

10.0

7,500 light years / 165 light years across

Cas (Cassiopeia (The Queen)

02h 33m 22s

+61° 25′ 36″

Enlarge on click the map.

(Click the map above for a large view.)

Abbreviation:  Cas
English Name:  The Cassiopeia Queen
Genitive: Schedar, sometimes spelt Shedar or Shedir.
Hemisphere: Northern Hemisphere
Location: Between the constellations of Andromeda and Cephus.
Visible between latitudes:  +90 and -20 degrees
Best season: Autumn
Seen in three seasons: Summer, Autumn and Winter
Best seen in:  November
Seen between: Circumpolar (This constellation of Cassiopeia stays in the sky all the year.)
Right Ascension (RA): 01 hour
Declination (DEC): +60 degrees
Area (square degrees):  598 (25th)

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Facts about Collinder 26 (Cr 26)
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  • Cr 26 is the young star cluster in the middle of the Heart Nebula.
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  • It is about 7,500 light‑years away and only 1.5 million years old.
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  • Its huge, hot stars blow strong winds that shape the glowing gas around them, creating pillars and cavities (LDN 1369).
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  • Similar in appearance to the “Pillars of Creation” in the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16).
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