by Anthony Ayiomamitis
Although estimates vary dramatically, open cluster NGC 225 has been estimated to be anywhere from 10 to 120 million years old, thus making this widely dispersed cluster one of the youngest open clusters in the Milky Way. With approximately 20 bright member stars lying approximately 2140 light-years away, this cluster lies betwen γ-Cas (mag 2.17) and κ-Cas (mag 4.17). The cluster's discovery has been attributed to Caroline Herschel (1784) and is currently catalogued in multiple sources. Being effectively a circumpolar cluster, its observation is not dependent on season and/or time. It is of interest to note the presence of reflection nebulosity (see upper-right) and which is further indication of its very young age.
Technical Details:
Date: Nov 17, 2009 @ 22:05 - 00:45 UT+2
Location: Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Equipment: AP 160 f/7.5 StarFire EDF, AP 1200GTO GEM, SBIG ST-10XME, SBIG CFW10, SBIG LRGB + IR-block
Integrations: 30:30:30:30 (3-/6-min subs), Binning: 1x1, Image Scale: 1.17" per pixel, -25.0° C
Further Details: http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-DSO-NGC-0225.htm