Messier 34 (M34)

Also Known as: NGC 1039, Collinder 31

Object Type: Open Cluster

Constellation: Perseus

Distance from Earth: 1,500 light years

Apparent Magnitude: 5.5

Coordinates: RA 02H 42.1M 0S DEC 42 deg 46 min 0 sec

Actual Size: 14 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 35 arc-minutes

Discovered by: Messier 34 was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654.
Charles Messier found it independently on August 25, 1764 and included it in his catalogue.

Description: Messier 34 (M34) is a bright, large open cluster located in the northern constellation Perseus.
It contains about 100 stars, and possibly up to 400 stars. Messier 34 is one of the nearest Messier objects to Earth.
There are only six other deep sky objects listed in Messier’s catalogue that are closer to us: Pleiades (M45), the Beehive Cluster (M44), the Ptolemy Cluster (M7), the open cluster Messier 39, the Dumbbell Nebula (M27), and the Orion Nebula (M42).
Messier 34 is a relatively young star cluster, with an estimated age of between 200 and 250 million years. The brightest star in M34 has a visual magnitude of 7.9.
The cluster is located just to the north of the imaginary line drawn from Algol, the second brightest star in Perseus, to Almach.
Messier 34 is classified as Trumpler type I 3 m, which means that it is detached from the surrounding field and has a strong central concentration (I), it contains both bright and faint stars (3), and is medium rich, with 50 to 100 stars.
Messier 34 is one of only two deep sky objects located in Perseus constellation that were catalogued by Messier.
The other one is Messier 76, the Little Dumbbell Nebula, one of the four planetary nebulae included in Messier’s catalogue.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

Messier 34 is pretty easy to find in the sky and its stars can be resolved even in 10×50 binoculars. The cluster is located just to the north of the imaginary line drawn from Algol (Beta Persei), the second brightest star in Perseus, to Almach (Gamma Andromedae), the third brightest star in the neighboring constellation Andromeda.
The cluster is just visible to the naked eye in very dark conditions, well away from city lights. It is possible to see it in binoculars when light pollution is low.
The best way to view M34 is in telescopes at low magnifications. Small telescopes will reveal up to 20 stars, while larger amateur telescopes show about 80 members, many of them arranged in pairs.

The best time of year to observe the cluster from northern latitudes is in the months of October, November and December.

Platesolve

M34 Open Cluster

Imaging Details
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