Alpha Persei Cluster is an open cluster in Perseus, 566 light-years away
Alpha Persei Cluster (Melotte 20, Collinder 39) is an open cluster in the constellation Perseus , 566 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 1.2 and spans 5° of sky, about 49 light-years across. It is visible to the naked eye from a dark site, and it is highest in the evening sky in December.
Open cluster: a loose group of a few dozen to a few thousand young stars born together from one cloud of gas. They drift apart over a few hundred million years and lie in the disk of the Milky Way.
Finding Alpha Persei Cluster from Mirfak
Mirfak
Alpha Persei Cluster
PERSEUS
Alpha Persei Cluster lies 46′ south of Mirfak , the magnitude 1.8 star. That is within one binocular field.
Alpha Persei Cluster is highest in the evening in December
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 75° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 64° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 77° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 78° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 82° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 74° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -0° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 0° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 48° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -39° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 40° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -67° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -77° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -75° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -56° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 0° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 41°S, and never sets north of 41°N.
Alpha Persei Cluster is 566 light-years away
The light seen from Alpha Persei Cluster tonight left it about 566 years ago, around 1460 AD. It ranks 2 of 78 by distance among the star clusters on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023.
Objects within 6° of Alpha Persei Cluster
Alpha Persei Cluster catalog data
Field Value
Designations Melotte 20, Collinder 39 Type open cluster Constellation Perseus Right ascension (J2000) 03h 25.3m Declination (J2000) +49° 07′ Magnitude 1.2 Apparent size 5° True size 49 light-years Distance 566 light-years (Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023) Best month December Best with Naked eye
