NGC 1444
Small open cluster in the constellation Perseus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 1444 is a small open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Perseus,[2] about 2-1⁄4° to the northwest of 43 Persei.[4] It has an angular diameter of 4 arcminutes and a brightness of 6.60 in visual magnitude. The cluster has sixty members of seventh magnitude or fainter, and is better appreciated in larger telescopes.[4] NGC 1444 was discovered on 18 December 1788 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.[5][6][7] It is located at a distance of 4,200 light-years from the Sun and is about 7.1[1] million years old. The cluster has a physical core radius of 1.73 ± 0.42 ly and a tidal radius of 17.4 ± 4.2 ly.[1] The most prominent member is the triple star system Σ446, with a magnitude 6.7 primary.[8] The cluster is a member of the Camelopardalis OB1 association.[8]
| NGC 1444 | |
|---|---|
NGC 1444 imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 03h 49m 23.8s[1] |
| Declination | +52° 29′ 24″[1] |
| Distance | 4.2 kly (1.3 kpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.6[2] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 4′[2] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Estimated age | 7.08 Myr[1] |
| Other designations | Cr 43, C 0345+525, OCL 394[3] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Perseus[2] |
