Can I photograph NGC 869 Double Cluster from a city?

Yes. It is bright enough to image from a suburb or even a city.

Which smart telescope is best for NGC 869 Double Cluster?

Seestar S30, DWARF mini, Seestar S50 Pro frame it best in a single frame, based on its size and each telescope's field of view.

When is the best time to photograph NGC 869 Double Cluster?

It is highest around midnight in October and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 85° at most.

Target guide · open cluster

NGC 869 Double Cluster with a smart telescope

NGC 869 Double Cluster is a open cluster about 41 arcminutes (0.68°) across, magnitude 3.7. It is highest around midnight in October, best placed for the northern hemisphere, and bright enough to image from a suburb or even a city. Of the 14 smart telescopes we track, Seestar S30, DWARF mini, Seestar S50 Pro frame it best.

Key facts

Catalogue	NGC 869
Type	open cluster
Apparent size	41′ × 15′
Magnitude	3.7
Position (J2000)	RA 2.35 h, Dec 57.1°
Highest at midnight	October (±2 weeks)
Sky needed	City-friendly surface brightness 19.3 mag/arcsec²

In the best-matching frame

NGC 869 Double Cluster (blue) inside the native frame of Seestar S30 (2.14° × 1.21°).

Simulate your photo of Double Cluster →

Imaging tips

Star clusters and star groups are bright and forgiving: they show well from a city and need only short sessions. A wider field of view shows the whole group with some surrounding sky. Double Cluster is one of the easier targets from light-polluted skies.

Which smart telescope frames it best

Telescope	Field of view	Fit	Mosaic
ZWO Seestar S30	2.14° × 1.21°	fits well	one frame
DWARFLAB DWARF mini	2.13° × 1.2°	fits well	one frame
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro	2.45° × 1.38°	fits well	one frame
Vaonis Vespera II	2.5° × 1.4°	fits well	one frame
Vaonis Vespera 3	2.5° × 1.4°	fits well	one frame
Vaonis Vespera Pro 2	1.6° × 1.6°	fits well	one frame
DWARFLAB DWARF 3	2.93° × 1.65°	fits well	one frame
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro	3.99° × 2.24°	fits well	one frame
Celestron Origin Mark II	1.32° × 0.75°	fits well	one frame
ZWO Seestar S50	1.29° × 0.73°	fits well	one frame
Unistellar eQuinox 2	0.76° × 0.57°	larger than the frame	2 × 1 = 2 panels
Unistellar eVscope 2	0.76° × 0.57°	larger than the frame	2 × 1 = 2 panels
Unistellar Odyssey	0.75° × 0.56°	larger than the frame	2 × 1 = 2 panels
Unistellar Odyssey Pro	0.75° × 0.56°	larger than the frame	2 × 1 = 2 panels

Mosaic planner

Double Cluster is larger than the frame of some smart telescopes. A mosaic covers it with several overlapping frames that are stitched together afterwards. Pick a telescope to see the layout.

Telescope

Odyssey · 0.75° × 0.56°: 2 × 1 = 2 panels Each panel needs its own exposure, so plan about 2× the imaging time of a single frame.

Calculated with 15% overlap between panels and a 10% margin around the object, with the frame lined up along the object's long axis. When the object is longer than the short side of the frame we always count at least two panels, because on an alt-az mount the frame turns during the night. Whether a telescope has a built-in mosaic mode depends on its app and firmware; you can also shoot the panels separately and stitch them yourself.

How high it gets from where you live

Highest altitude above a flat horizon. Below about 20° the image suffers from haze and light pollution; trees and roofs often block it completely.

Latitude	Highest altitude
Oslo, 60° N	87°
Amsterdam, 52° N	85°
Madrid, 40° N	73°
Miami, 26° N	59°
Equator	33°
Sydney, 34° S	never rises

See if it clears your own horizon tonight

Nearby in the sky

Objects close to NGC 869 in the sky, so you can image them in the same session.

IC 1805 Heart Nebula emission nebula, 4.6° away
IC 1848 Soul Nebula emission nebula, 5.1° away
M103 open cluster, 7.1° away
M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula planetary nebula, 7.9° away
NGC 457 Owl Cluster open cluster, 8.2° away
IC 63 Ghost of Cassiopeia emission nebula, 11.1° away

Questions and answers

Can I photograph NGC 869 Double Cluster from a city?: Yes. It is bright enough to image from a suburb or even a city.
Which smart telescope is best for NGC 869 Double Cluster?: Seestar S30, DWARF mini, Seestar S50 Pro frame it best in a single frame, based on its size and each telescope's field of view.
When is the best time to photograph NGC 869 Double Cluster?: It is highest around midnight in October and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 85° at most.

Object data: Messier catalogue via d3-celestial (BSD-3); NGC and IC objects from OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0). Altitudes and dates are calculated, not observed.