NGC 654 is an open cluster in Cassiopeia, 9,180 light-years away
NGC 654 (Herschel 400 no. 27, OCL 330) is an open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia , 9,180 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 6.5 and spans 6.3′ of sky, about 17 light-years across. It is visible in small binoculars, and it is highest in the evening sky in December.
Open cluster: a loose group of a few dozen to a few thousand young stars born together from one cloud of gas. They drift apart over a few hundred million years and lie in the disk of the Milky Way.
Finding NGC 654 from Ruchbah
Ruchbah
NGC 654
CASSIOPEIA
NGC 654 lies 2.7° northeast of Ruchbah , the magnitude 2.7 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 654 is highest in the evening in December
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 69° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 82° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 84° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 48° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 75° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 76° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 56° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 66° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 37° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -37° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -8° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -18° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -54° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -66° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -67° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -57° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 28°S, and never sets north of 28°N.
NGC 654 is 9,180 light-years away
The light seen from NGC 654 tonight left it about 9,180 years ago. It ranks 116 of 398 by distance among the Herschel 400 objects. Distance source: Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023.
Objects within 6° of NGC 654
C10, open cluster, 43′ NGC 659, open cluster, 1.2° M103, open cluster, 1.8° NGC 637, open cluster, 2.2° C8, open cluster, 2.2° NGC 381, open cluster, 4.2° NGC 436, open cluster, 4.6° C13 Owl Cluster, open cluster, 4.7°
NGC 654 catalog data
Field Value
Designations NGC 654, Herschel 400 no. 27, OCL 330 Type open cluster Constellation Cassiopeia Right ascension (J2000) 01h 44.0m Declination (J2000) +61° 53′ Magnitude 6.5 Apparent size 6.3′ True size 17 light-years Distance 9,180 light-years (Gaia DR3, Hunt and Reffert 2023) Best month December Best with Binoculars Herschel 400 number 27
