Open star cluster

The Double Cluster

Also NGC 869 · NGC 884 · h and Chi Persei · Caldwell 14

Open in Ouranos

The Double Cluster — Kitt Peak, visible light — Kitt Peak, visible light. Credit: N.A.Sharp/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Source

Two young star clusters side by side in Perseus, both visible to the naked eye.

Measured

Distance: about 7,550 light-years (published estimates 7,460–7,640)
Constellation: Perseus
Position (J2000): RA 2h 19m 59s, Dec +57.13°

How far, from the Sun

About 7,550 light-years. To cross it:

Light7,550 years
Voyager 1's speed134 million years
Driving at 100 km/h81.5 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

Its two clusters, NGC 869 and NGC 884, lie about 7,460 and 7,640 light years away.
Both are only about 14 million years old.
Hipparchus noted it around 130 BC.

Where this comes from

Currie et al. 2010, ApJS 186, 191 (2,290 pc and 2,344 pc for the two clusters)

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.