RA 333.7858° · Dec 49.8975° · openngc
13 more points to reach Epic.
NGC 7243 is a rare cluster. It lies about 2,922.5 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Lac and shines at apparent magnitude 6.4.
An open cluster: a few hundred stars born together out of one collapsing cloud, still drifting along in loose formation.
Look for NGC 7243 in the constellation Lac. At apparent magnitude 6.4, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 7243 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.
NGC 7243 scores 37 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 13 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 6 science badges — Star cluster, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Bright deep-sky object, Open cluster, Big on the sky and Coming towards us — 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.