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NGC 2414 is a difficult cluster in Puppis, with a diameter of four arcminutes. Five stars are visible, of which a brighter one to the east. Even at 120x the cluster is unresolved, and the stars are surrounded by nebulosity in the western part.

Stock 1 is a large cluster in Vulpecula. It is composed of 15 bright stars disposed in a pattern similar to that of the constellation Cetus.

Stephenson 1 is a small cluster composed of about ten stars surrounding 11 and 12 Lyrae.

NGC 6830 is a cluster composed of stars with magnitudes between 11 and 12. It is small, condensed, with direct vision I’ve seen three stars. Using adverted vision I counted seven more.

NGC 188 is extremely faint, dense and small. I’ve only seen it using averted vision, it is unresolved into stars.

NGC 6823 is composed of faint stars scattered on almost half a degree. In some regions of the cluster the stars are more close-packed.

NGC 6811 is a dense, round cluster, with a diameter of 20 arcminutes. Five brighter stars are easily seen, the cluster has a granular appearance.

Collinder 419 is an obscure cluster in Cygnus. It surrounds a stars located half a degree west of Sadr (the star between Deneb and Albireo).

NGC 129 is an obscure cluster composed of 15 fairly bright stars.

NGC 7082 is another obscure cluster in Cygnus. Only if you use your imagination it might look like an open cluster.

Open cluster M47
M47 – Open cluster in Puppis. NOAO/AURA/NSF

M47 is a cluster in Puppis, easily visible with the naked eye on a dark sky. I have seen 50 scattered stars, of which ten brighter ones. At low power, 36x, it seems split in two by a dark lane.

NGC 2423 is located a few minutes north of M47. It is a very spectacular cluster, very dense, composed of faint stars. A group of stars in the shape of a horseshoe is evident towards the center.

NGC 6882 is a beautiful open star cluster in Vulpecula. It is composed of 25 moderately bright stars, scattered around a brighter one.

M29 is a beautiful cluster in Cygnus, placed in a star rich area of the Milky Way. Using 36x I could see eight stars easily discernible from the background.

M46 is one of the most spectacular open clusters I have ever seen. It is composed of about 50 stars concentrated in a field less than 30 arcminutes in diameter. To the west of the cluster I have seen a 6th-magnitude star.

Collinder 350 looks like an open cluster only when seen through the finder scope. In the eyepiece I’ve seen 15 stars scattered around the field.

On a winter evening you can try your skill on a difficult cluster in Canis Major. At low power NGC 2374 looks like a diffuse patch of light, with a diameter of 20 arcminutes. Around it I have seen 20 faint stars.

NGC 2396 is composed of faint stars grouped in the form of the letter “U”. At the edge of the cluster, a few arcminutes to the north, you will find a spectacular double star, easily resolved at 36x. The two component stars are yellow and topaz.

NGC 2539 shares the same visual field with the star 19 Puppis. After having consulted a detailed map, I have found that 19 Puppis is a member of the cluster. NGC 2539 is not very spectacular, it is composed of faint stars, very densely grouped. The cluster is well resolved at 36x.

NGC 1981 is located north of M42, it has a diameter of 0.5 degrees and is composed of 15 stars, of which seven brighter ones arranged in an “M” pattern.

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