About IC 1310
IC 1310 is an uncommon cluster. It sits in the constellation Cyg.
A star cluster still wrapped in the nebula that made it — newborn stars lighting up their own birth cloud.
Uncommon cluster 24 EP
IC 1310
RA 302.5041° · Dec 34.9689° · openngc
Score breakdown
· 3 badgesUncommon 34 pts → Rare
- Cluster still wrapped in its gas +12
- Star cluster +7
- Big on the sky +5
Total score 24
10 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Star cluster · +7
- Cluster still wrapped in its gas · +12
- Big on the sky · +5
Trivia
What it actually is
- What it actually is. A star cluster still wrapped in the nebula that made it — newborn stars lighting up their own birth cloud.
Find it in the sky
- Where to look. You'll find it in the constellation Cygnus.
- Northern sky. It rides the northern half of the sky — an easier target the further north you are.
- Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around July — that's when to go looking.
Its true colour
- Its true colour. The stars are blue-white and brand new; the gas around them glows red, ionised by their ultraviolet glare.
How we came to know it
- The Index Catalogue. The IC was the 1895 and 1908 supplement to the NGC — the first catalogue in history to be filled largely with objects found on photographic plates rather than by eye.
Properties
- constellation
- Cyg
- dso type
- Cl+N
- name
- IC 1310
- size arcmin
- 15
How to see it
Look for IC 1310 in the constellation Cyg.
Like any astronomical target, IC 1310 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why IC 1310 is an uncommon cluster
IC 1310 scores 24 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 10 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star cluster, Cluster still wrapped in its gas and Big on the sky — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.