Telescope:

8" f5 Newtonian reflector

Camera:

 ST-8XME, self-guided, binned 1x1, temp -20c, camera control MaxIm DL 4.56

Image:

Lumicon Red filter, 150 minutes (15 x 10 minute subs), 12/31/2008; seeing 3.0-3.7 FWHM per CCDStack

Processing:

CCDStack 1.4.1, Photoshop 7.0

Location:

 Rolling Roof Observatory, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (+34d 13m 29s -118h 52m 20s)

Notes:

This images replaces an unfiltered 45 minute Track & Accumulate image from 01/09/2006.

According to "Star Clusters", by Brent Archinal and Steven Hynes, the size of this open cluster is 25 arc minutes.

From the NGC / IC Project:

Contemporary Visual Observation(s) for NGC 2281

NGC 2281 = Cr 116 = Mel 51 = OCL-446
06 48 18 +41 04.7
V = 5.4;  Size 15

18" (3/13/04): ~75 stars in a 30' region to the south of mag 7.3 HD 49009.  A 
number of stars are arranged in a looping chain.  There is a neat kite-shaped 
group of 6 stars (including two pairs at 10" and 15") in the middle of the chain 
with a faint star in the center.  Scattered stars extend to the south, beyond 
the kite.  The group is fairly bright and distinctive and includes a number of 
mag 9-10 stars, although there are no dense subgroups.

13.1": ~40 stars mag 7-13 in cluster, bright, loose.  Five double stars are 
visible including a mag 9.5-11.0 pair at 11" and a mag 11.0-11.5 pair at 15".

The NGC, Lynga and RNGC position is 1.0 tmin following the center of the cluster 
(defined by Skiff as the center of the bright trapezium)

- by Steve Gottlieb