60 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2021
BINOCULAR UNIVERSE
Back in the March issue, we visited the eastern
portion of one of the sky’s most challenging
constellations, Camelopardalis the Giraffe. I
promised then that we would return later in the year to
c a l l on some h idden deep -sk y gems i n t he we ster n pa r t
of the constellation. And here we are.
Like the eastern half, western Camelopardalis lacks
any noteworthy naked-eye stars. So, finding our way
around will take some effort. Fortunately, there is a
neighbor who can help.
Cassiopeia borders Camelopardalis to the
west. The full span of the Queen’s familiar W
pattern measures about 13° from tip to tip.
Dr aw a n i ma g i na r y l i ne ac ros s t he C a s siopeia
W, from Caph (Beta [β] Cassiopeiae) to Segin
(Epsilon [ε] Cassiopeiae), and extend it the
same distance east into the emptiness of
Camelopardalis. Look for a surprisingly
straight stream of faint stars spanning 2.5°
and f lowing from northwest to southeast.
Canadian amateur astronomer and
Franciscan monk Lucian Kemble first
noticed this unusual grouping in 1980, while
he wa s sc a n n i ng C a melopa rd a l i s w it h 7x 35 bi noc u la rs.
Curious about this alignment, he contacted Walter
Scott Houston to see if he was familiar with it. Houston
— having written the Deep-Sky Wonders column in
Sky & Telescope for more than four decades — was the
preeminent deep-sky authority during the latter half
of the 20th century. Despite this expertise, he was also
previously unaware of Kemble’s find. Houston alerted
readers to this unusual sight, christening it Kemble’s
Cascade.Fou r teen st a rs ma ke up Kemble’s C a sc ade. Most a re
between 7th and 9th magnitude, save for a
5th-magnitude bluish sun midway along the stream. I
liken it to a rock protruding out of a torrent of roaring
rapids. But, despite appearances, the stars of Kemble’s
Cascade have no physical relation to each other in space.
They are simply a chance line-of-sight alignment
formed by unrelated stars, k nown as an asterism.
As you ride the rapids along Kemble’s Cascade f low-
ing southwestward, you will see that they end near a
small, hazy patch. Kemble compared the view to a
waterfall, with NGC 1502 creating the cloud of water
vapor at the base of the falls.
William Herschel discovered this open cluster in
November 1787. NG C 1502 is made up of 45 st a rs , most
of which are fainter than 10th magnitude — below the
threshold for most binoculars. Despite their individual
faintness, the stars combine their resources to create a
6th-magnitude object for us to enjoy. Look carefully
and you might notice two or three faint points standing
out from the cluster’s glow. The brightest two shine at
7th magnitude and are dead center in the cluster. They
form a tight pair separated by 16". That’s too close to
resolve through my 10x50 binoculars, but I can just
detect their duality through my 16x70s. How many stars
can you resolve in NGC 1502?
Our final stop on this visit to Camelopardalis is
another object that went largely unknown until an
amateur spotted it and began to spread the word. John
Pa z m i no acc ident a l ly st u mbled upon t h i s open clu ster
while observing with a small refractor in the late 1970s.
Although cataloged as Stock 23, many know
it by its nickname: Pazmino’s Cluster. To spot
it, find the 4th-magnitude star HD 21291
about one binocular field southwest of
NGC 1502. Stock 23 is just 1.6° farther west
of this star. Viewing through my 10x50s, I
can make out about a half-dozen of its 25
stars. The four brightest form a trapezoid
reminiscent of Draco the Dragon’s head.
Despite its late addition to the sky,
Camelopardalis hosts quite a few hidden
gems for amateurs to unearth. And it’s fun
to scan the sky through binoculars to see
what surprises await, especially in barren
spaces like Camelopardalis. You never know what you
might come across.
Have you ever bumped into an interesting grouping
of stars that no one else knows about? I’d love the spread
the word. Drop me a line through my website,
philharrington.net. Until next month, remember that
two eyes are better than one.Make sure to explore all this constellation has to offer.
Revisit the Giraffe
Like flowing rapids,
the stars of Kemble’s
Cascade fall into
NGC 1502 (bottom
left). MICHAEL ISRAELIt’s fun to
scan the sky
through
binoculars
to see what
surprises
await.
BY PHIL
HARRINGTON
Phil is a longtime
contributor to
Astronomy and the
author of many books.BROWSE THE “BINOCULAR UNIVERSE” ARCHIVE AT
http://www.Astronomy.com/Harrington