NGC 1893, Open Star Cluster
The open star cluster NGC 1893 was discovered by John Herschel on a cold January night in 1827 and is located at a relatively large distance of
11-12,000 light-years in the constellation Auriga.
The apparent size is given as 7.5', which corresponds to a total diameter of 24 light-years - the inner region, however, is 11-12 light-years across.
The star cluster is embedded in the emission nebula IC 410.
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The star cluster/nebula complex around NGC 1893 offers a wonderful view in my 20" telescope. :)
The cluster consists of 8 brighter and about 30 fainter stars in an area of ~5'. The bright stars surround the oval cluster. The star density increases
significantly towards the center. A bright star can be seen there, which is surrounded by many faint stars. There are only a few stars in the eastern
and western parts.
The nebula IC 410 can best be seen at a magnification of 120x in combination with a UHC filter. The arc appears most prominent in the eastern
part, while almost no nebula can be found in the western part - as if the stellar wind had driven a cave into the gas.
The two tadpoles in the north-eastern part of the nebula (top left) are particularly exciting. The more conspicuous of the two appears relatively
bright and has a diffuse condensation in the center. The second tadpole is only faintly visible and its structure is almost homogeneous.
