Bar – Chart 10

An amazing gathering of eight clusters lying in a rich and glittering 15′ field

Location of Bar Chart 10

LH OB Associations: LH 80

NGC Objects: NGC 2028, 2036, 2046, 2047, 2057, 2058, 2059, 2059A, 2065, 2066, 2072

Bar Chart 10

Steve Gottlieb's observations

HS 349 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 33 08.6 Dec -70 02 25 Mag – Size 1.0′ x 0.9′

16″ at 228x: HS 349 appears as a small, faint, round glow, with a small star just north of it.

HS 349

HS 351 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 33 23.0 Dec -70 01 48 Mag – Size 1.0′ x 0.9′

16″ at 228x: HS 351 appears as a small, faint, round glow; just slightly larger than HS 349 lying just 1.6′ SW.

HS 351

LH 80 (OB Association)

RA 05 33 50.3 Dec -69 56 41 Size 4ʹ x 3ʹ

16″ at 228x: LH 80 is a rich gathering of stars set against the rich bright background glow of the bar. Elongated NNE-SSW it has a number of brighter stars and heaps of very small stars set against a rich glow of unresolved stars. Fairly bright cluster NGC 2028 resides here in a small trio with similar SL 574 lying 2.4′ W and fainter HS 353 lying 2.2′ NNW with a lovely mottled collection of fainter stars between them.

NGC 2028:

NGC 2028 is fairly bright, irregular, 30″ in diameter and smooth, with no stars resolved.

SL 574:

I am surprised that John Herschel missed this cluster as it lies only 2.4′ W of NGC 2028 and is very similar in appearance. It appears fairly bright, irregular, 30″ in diameter and with no stars resolved except for a mag 14 star that lies just off its western end.

HS 353:

HS 353 appears appears as a very faint, round glow, with no stars resolved.

LH 80

NGC 2036 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 34 32 Dec -70 03 54 Mag 12.8 Size 1.5′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2036 appears as a bright, irregular glow, 45″ in diameter, with a small brighter core. At 333x, a couple of mag 16 stars are resolved on the edges, and a very small and bright knot of unresolved stars lies at its southeast end.

NGC 2036

SL 591 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 34 50.4 Dec -69 54 58 Mag 12.9 Size 0.9′ x 0.8′

16″ at 228x: SL 591 appears as a small, faint, round glow, no stars resolved.

SL 591

SL 593 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 09 Dec -70 19 34 Mag – Size 1.10′

16″ at 228x: SL 593 appears very faint, very small, very barely there.

SL 593

BSDL 2504 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 31.3 Dec -70 08 10.3 Mag – Size 1.9′ x 1.0′

16″ at 228x: BSDL 2504 appears as a very attractive ~1.5′ N-S string of stars immersed in the glow of unresolved stars. Two mag 14.5-15 stars are resolved.

BSDL 2504

HS 363 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 32.7 Dec -70 20 51 Mag – Size 0.65′ x 0.55′

16″ at 228x: This cluster appears stellar just to the west of the small SSW star of a pair oriented NNE-SSW

HS 363

SL 599 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 50.9 Dec -69 52 33 Mag 13.0 Size 0.9′ x 0.8′

16″ at 228x: SL 599 appears as a faint, small, round glow, no stars resolved.

SL 599

Gorgeous collection of eight clusters and one other

This is a simply gorgeous close gathering of clusters! Eight clusters lie in a 15′ field that is itself rich with the background glow of this bright section of the bar. At 128x all 8 clusters easily fit in the field of view. Stunning. Seven of the clusters (NGC 2046, 2047, 2057, 2058, 2059, 2065, 2066) were sketched by Joseph Turner on 26 April, 1876 using the 48″ Great Melbourne Telescope.

Joseph Turner’s sketch of the 7 clusters, 26 April, 1876 using the 48″ Great Melbourne Telescope

The 7 clusters, with the eighth cluster, small NGC 2072, added, as well as the small NGC 2059A

NGC 2046 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 37.6 Dec -70 14 27 Mag 12.6 Size 1.3′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2046 appears fairly bright, 35″ in diameter, very slightly elongated WSW-ENE. It is smooth and brightens to the ENE end. No stars are resolved. A mag 13 star lies just 44″ SW. Along with the second of the clusters, NGC 2047, which lies 3.2′ NNE and is somewhat fainter, they make a pretty triangle with the yellowy mag 8.2 star, HD 37762, lying 5.9 NW.

NGC 2046

NGC 2047 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 35 54.4 Dec -70 11 29 Mag 13.2 Size 0.9′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2047 appears as a fairly bright, round, smooth and even glow, 35″ in diameter. No stars are resolved. It forms a pretty triangle with NGC 2046, which lies 3.2′ SSW and yellowy mag 8.2 star, HD 37762, lying 5.8 WNW.

NGC 2047

NGC 2057 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 36 56.2 Dec -70 16 10 Mag 12.2 Size 1.8′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2057 appears pretty bright, round, 25″ in diameter, brightening to the centre. No stars are resolved. It has an attractive location in the grouping of eight clusters, lying almost midway in line with NGC 2065 lying 4′ NE and mag 10.4 HD 269839 lying 3′ SW.

NGC 2057

NGC 2058 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 36 54.5 Dec -70 09 44 Mag 11.9 Size 2.1′

16″ at 228x: Gorgeous! It’s the brightest of the eight clusters and appears bright, ~1.3′ in diameter, with a large bright core and a gritty halo, although no stars are resolved. It’s nicely highlighted by two mag 13 stars that lie 1′ WSW and 1.5′ WNW. It also forms a pretty triangle with NGC 2065 5.8′ SE and NGC 2066 4.1′ E.

NGC 2058

NGC 2059 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 37 01.5 Dec -70 07 37 Mag 12.9 Size 1.1′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2059 appears as a moderately bright, round, hazy glow, 30″ in diameter, and with no stars resolved. A mag 11.9 star lies just 40″ W which interferes a little with the cluster’s glow.

NGC 2059

NGC 2059A (Open Cluster)

RA 05 36 53.6 Dec -70 06 21 Mag – Size 0.9′ x 0.8′

16″ at 228x: Not on Turner’s sketch, NGC 2059A is one of 59 unpublished visual discoveries that Pietro Baracchi made using the 48″ Great Melbourne Telescope during the years 1884-1888. In the absence of knowing it was a cluster, one would be fogiven for passing right over it, as it appears as little more than a small, very slightly brighter glow set against the bar’s bright glowing background.

NGC 2059A

NGC 2065 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 37 35.9 Dec -70 14 07 Mag 11.2 Size 2.6′

16″ at 228x: Another gorgeous cluster in this group of eight clusters! It appears as a bright, round glow, 1.2′ in diameter. No stars are resolved except for a mag 12 star touching the edge on the northeast side. It forms a lovely triangle with NGC 2066 lying 4.2′ N, and NGC 2058 lying 5.8′ NW.

NGC 2065

NGC 2066 (Open Cluster)

RA 05 37 41.2 Dec -70 09 58 Mag 13.1 Size 1.0′

16″ at 228x: NGC 2066 appears as a moderately bright, round haze, 40″ in diameter. No stars are resolved. It forms a triangle with NGC 2065 lying 4.2′ S and NGC 2058 lying 4.1′ W.