NGC 637 Open Cluster in Cassiopeia
Sometimes The Journey Is As Wonderful As The Destination
The Open Cluster NGC 637 fell within my view as I was star-hopping to another Open Cluster
(NGC 559). Although, NGC 637 was not my intended target, I decided to stop here for a while
before I continue on. One of the reasons that I like to star-hop is that I often run across other
interesting objects that I would miss if I were using a goto telescope mount. I am not knocking
the use of goto mounts, I own one myself, but I, more often than not, star-hop to my target. It
may take a little longer to get there, but often the joy is in the journey and the satisfaction of
finding the object. Something that I miss using computerized aid. NGC 637 really desires a
larger telescope that my 6.1 inches of aperture. Most of the stars in the cluster were beyond
the reach of my refractor. But they revealed themselves as a tantalizing smudge in the
eyepiece. At the center of the cluster is a double star (magnitude 10.2 and 11.4) with a 9
arc-seconds separation, that was bright enough to standout in the cluster. Sometimes the
journey is as wonderful as the destination.