NGC 1647


Combination of 15, 1 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham cassegrain telescope at prime focus.

NGC 1647 is a very large and bright open cluster in Taurus. Visible to the naked eye, the cluster requires a large field of view for a good view. The image above only has a field of about 24', and so only the central portion of the cluster is visible. The cluster deserves to be much better known, however it sufferes due to the close proximity of the Hyades cluster, located only a couple of degrees to the south-west.