NGC 654, 659, and 663 – Open Clusters in Cassiopeia

Telescope: ES DHL Comet Hunter MN6 at f/4.8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon D610

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD

Exposure: 16x60sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/250sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is a quick patrol images taken as part of a series exploring open clusters in Cassiopeia. In the center of this field is the rich open cluster NGC 663. Above and to the right is the smaller NGC 654, and to the lower right is the tiny NGC 659. The 6^th and 7^th magnitude stars to the lower right of NGC 659 make a good marker for the southern edge of this field.

NGC 654, 659, and 663 are currently high in the northeast as the sky darkens.