NGC 6939

Cep open cluster · Open cluster in Cepheus

Magnitude
7.8
Size
7′
Effective surface brightness
20.0 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Jul, Aug, Sep
Declination
+61°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A rich, old open cluster that shares a frame with the Fireworks Galaxy. Cluster and galaxy in one shot.

Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.

How long with each smart telescope

Total integration for a solid image of the NGC 6939, default sub length, recommended filter, and how much of each frame it fills. Click a cell for the full Bortle 1 to 9 table.
TelescopeIn frameBortle 3 (rural)Bortle 5 (suburban)Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs16%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min49 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs8%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs9 min53 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs10%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min50 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs5%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs9 min56 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs7%8 min30 subs8 min30 subs12 min49 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs10%8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min33 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs9%15 min30 subs15 min30 subs15 min30 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs7%12 min47 subs14 min57 subs25 min99 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs8%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min49 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs7%8 min46 subs9 min57 subs17 min105 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs8%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min47 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs7%7 min44 subs9 min54 subs17 min100 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs20%3 min47 subs4 min55 subs6 min91 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs21%14 min217 subs16 min247 subs25 min376 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs14%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs5 min30 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs16%5 min30 subs5 min30 subs5 min30 subs

Open in the calculator

Imaging the open cluster

Open clusters are the easiest targets in the sky. The stars are bright, so the aim is colour and tight stars rather than depth: short subs, no filter, and stop before the bright members saturate. The nominal time here gets you clean star colour; more integration only adds background stars.

Per-telescope pages