Perseus (constellation)

Notable deep sky objects

• h+χ Per: These two open clusters (NGC 869 and NGC 884 respectively) belong to the most beautiful objects of the night sky for binoculars and small telescopes. Both lie at distances of more than 7,000 ly and are separated by several hundred light-years.
• M 34: This open cluster with an apparent brightness of 5.5m lies at a distance of approximately 1,400 ly and consists of about 100 stars that are scattered over an area larger than that of the full moon. Its true diameter is about 14 ly. M 34 can be resolved even with good binoculars but is best viewed using a telescope at low magnifications.
• M 76: This planetary nebula is also called Little Dumbbell Nebula. It measures about 65 arc seconds and has an apparent brightness of 10.1m.
• NGC 1499: Also called California Nebula this emission nebula, discovered in 1884-85 by the American astronomer Edward E. Barnard, is a great target for astrophotographers. Due to its low surface brightness it's a very difficult object when observed visually.