NGC 657 is an open cluster in Cassiopeia
NGC 657 (MWSC 0135) is an open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia . Spans 3′. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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 NGC 657 from Ruchbah
Ruchbah
NGC 657
CASSIOPEIA
NGC 657 lies 5.0° southeast of Ruchbah , the magnitude 2.7 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 657 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 65° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 80° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 82° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 78° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 80° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 56° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 71° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 63° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 43° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 23° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -61° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -63° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -38° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -72° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -6° 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 34°S, and never sets north of 34°N.
The distance to NGC 657 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 657
12 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 744, open cluster, 2.2° NGC 457 Owl Cluster, open cluster, 4.1° M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula, planetary nebula, 4.3° NGC 436, open cluster, 4.7° NGC 659, open cluster, 4.8° M103 Messier 103, open cluster, 5.0° NGC 869 Double Cluster, open cluster, 5.1° NGC 663, open cluster, 5.4°
NGC 657 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cassiopeia Designations NGC 657, MWSC 0135 Type open cluster Right ascension (J2000) 01h 43.3m Declination (J2000) +55° 50′ Apparent size 3′ Best with Telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
