Naked eye & binocular targets

These circumpolar targets can be spotted lurking around Perseus and Andromeda

1 Mirfak (Alpha Persei)

Perseus’ brightest star, Mirfak, is just one star in an open star cluster referred to as the Alpha Persei Cluster. This star can be easily located by tracing the imaginary line starting at the star Navi (Gamma Cassiopeiae) of Cassiopeia through Ruchbah (Delta Cassiopeiae) and the Double Cluster until Mirfak comes into vision.

2 Algol (Beta Persei)

Algol, also known as the ‘Devil Star’, experiences a regular brightness variation, seeing it dip from a magnitude of +2.1 to +3.4 every two days, 20 hours and 49 minutes. This is because Algol is a threestar system, and the dimmer Beta Persei B eclipses brighter Beta Persei A with clockwork precision.

3 The Spiral Cluster (Messier 34)

Discovered by Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654, the Spiral Cluster lies just five degrees away from Algol, making it easy to find. It is a young open star cluster, thought to be no older than 250 million years old, and can even be resolved using 10×50 binoculars.

4 Double Cluster

(NGC 869 and NGC 884)

The Double Cluster is made up of two open star clusters, each containing between 300 and 400 stars, sitting side by side at a distance of approximately 7,000 light years away from Earth. They can be located by following the imaginary line from Navi through Ruchbah, both of Cassiopeia, likewise to locating Mirfak.

5 Caldwell 28 (NGC 752)

Caldwell 28 is another open star cluster located just next door in the constellation of Andromeda. It is on the outskirts of Andromeda and is only five degrees south of the star Almach (Gamma Andromedae). This cluster contains roughly 50 stars spread out over a 1.25-degree patch of the sky.