The sky around IC 1311, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around IC 1311 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

IC 1311 · MWSC 3271

IC 1311

Open cluster in Cygnus

Open cluster in Cygnus.

CYGNUS

The box shows where IC 1311 sits in Cygnus.

Constellation
CygnusCyg
Magnitude
13.1visual
Size
6.3′apparent
Distance
-light-years
Best month
Septemberat 9 pm
Best with
Large telescope

IC 1311 is an open cluster in Cygnus

IC 1311 (MWSC 3271) is an open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. It shines at magnitude 13.1 and spans 6.3′. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in September.

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 IC 1311 from Sadr

Sadr IC 1311 CYGNUS

IC 1311 lies 2.4° northwest of Sadr, the magnitude 2.2 star. That is within one binocular field.

IC 1311 is highest in the evening in September

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 71° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 80° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 44° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 85° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 78° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 61° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 68° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 9° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -35° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 52° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 58° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -49° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -38° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 43° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -53° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -61° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -68° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -78° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -73° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -86° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -63° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -29° 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 49°S, and never sets north of 49°N.

The distance to IC 1311 is not well measured

No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.

Objects within 6° of IC 1311

13 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

IC 1311 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationCygnus
DesignationsIC 1311, MWSC 3271
Typeopen cluster
Right ascension (J2000)20h 10.8m
Declination (J2000)+41° 10′
Magnitude13.1
Apparent size6.3′
Radial velocity-63 km/s
Best withLarge telescope
Best monthSeptember
Catalog pageIC 1001 to 1500