NGC 457 (the ET Cluster, the Owl Cluster)
Constellation: Cas
Object Type: Open Cluster
RA: 1h 19m 32s
Dec: +58° 17' 27"
Magnitude: 6.4
Recommended minimum aperture: 50mm
Charts for 100mm Binocular (2.5° aperture circle). Click on a chart to print it.
Location:
Place δ Cas (Ruchbah) at the NE of the field and the 5th magnitude φ Cas will lie diametrically opposite. Centre φ Cas, which is the brightest star of this cluster, although it is not actually a member of it.
What You Should See:
is near the top of my list of star-party objects. The two brightest stars, φ Cas and its nearby 7th magnitude companion appear as the glowing eyes at the SE of a stick-man asterism with outstretched arms, which, just detectable at ×37, gives this cluster one of its common names.
