NGC 7243 (Caldwell 16)

Open Cluster, Lacerta

October 2020. Cave Creek Canyon Observatory, Arizona Sky Village

NGC 7243 (also known as Caldwell 16) is an open cluster and Caldwell object in the constellation Lacerta. It shines at magnitude +6.4. Its celestial coordinates are RA 22h 15.3m , dec +49° 53′. It is located near the naked-eye stars Alpha Lacertae, 4 Lacertae, an A-class double star, and planetary nebula IC 5217. It lies approximately 2,800 light-years away, and is thought to be just over 100 million years old, consisting mainly of white and blue stars.

Telescope: Astro Physics 305 Riccardi Honders Astrograph f3.8
Mount: Astro Physics 3600GTO “El Capitan”
Camera: FLI ML50100 / CFW10-7
Guider: Mini Borg 50 / SBIG STi

R: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, G: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, B: 24×10 mins = 240 mins

Total Imaging Time: 6h 00m

Data Imaged remotely over 3 nights during October 2020.
Data acquisition & Processing by David Churchill.