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What is an open cluster and what will I see?
Home » Astronomy » What You Can See » What is an open cluster and what will I see?An open, or galactic, star cluster is an area where stars of various brightness and numbers collect together. Both small and large binoculars find them easily as small clouds of stars in a stellar field. Open clusters with brighter members can easily be separated into individual components, while fainter members appear as a grainy texture.
A small telescope gathers far more light and reduces the area of the sky. Open clusters will again appear as clouds of stars, but individual members become more clear and patterns take shape. Very faint stars can often be glimpsed or remain as a background “texture.” Many open clusters also contain colorful stars.
In a large telescope, faint stellar members become distinct—this is called resolution. As telescope size increases, the ability to spot and resolve fainter star clusters also increases.
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