IC 2602 (Theta Carinae Cluster; Caldwell 102)
IC 2602 (also known as the Theta Carinae Cluster, Caldwell 102, and the Southern Pleiades Cluster) is an open cluster in the constellation Carina. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 1.9 and its angular diameter is 50 arc-minutes. IC 2602 lies at an estimated distance of 492 light years. The Equinox 2000 coordinates are 10h 43.2m, -64° 24´ which makes IC 2602 a Southern Hemisphere object that is best seen during the spring. The Caldwell Spring Star Chart shows the position of all Caldwell objects visible during that season. Visit the Caldwell Catalog Photo Gallery to see more objects from this catalog. As one of the more famous objects in the Caldwell Catalog, it is commonly known as Southern Pleiades.
For a wider angle view, see IC 2602 (300mm lens).
Technical Details
- Object: IC 2602 (Theta Carinae Cluster)
- Other Names: Theta Carinae Cluster, Caldwell 102, and the Southern Pleiades Cluster
- Object Type: open cluster
- Object Data: Apparent Magnitude = 1.9, Angular Size = 50 arc-minutes
- Object Position (Equinox 2000): 10h 43.2m, -64° 24´, Constellation = Carina
- Date: 2021 Feb 01 - Feb 08 (8 nights)
- Location: Chile Remote Observatory, Observatorio El Sauce, Chile
- Partnership: Operated in partnership with David Churchill
- Telescope: Astro-Physics AP155 EDF Refractor (with Focal Reducer: f/5.4; FL = 836mm)
- Camera: FLI ML29050 with Integral 7-position Filter Wheel
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1600GTO
- Guider: Agena Starguide II / SBIG STi
- Sub-Exposures: Astronomik Filters
- Luminance: 48 x 5 min = 240 min
- Red: 24 x 5 min = 120 min
- Green: 24 x 5 min = 120 min
- Blue: 24 x 5 min = 120 min - Total Exposure: 10h 00m
- File Name: IC2602-EDF21-C01w.jpg
- Field of View: 83.0' x 124.3' at 1.36 arc-sec/pixel
- Original Image Size: 4408 x 6600 pixels (29.1 MP); 14.7" x 22.0" @ 300 dpi
- Data Acquisition: David Churchill
- Image Processing: Fred Espenak
- Maxim DL: Image Calibration, Stacking, Digital Development Processing
- Adobe Camera Raw: Noise Reduction
- Photoshop CC: Curves, Levels - Copyright: Fred Espenak