I had no idea what Stock 2 meant when I read it on the December observing list. When I looked for it on Stellarium it wasn't there, so I did a Google image search and found some observing sketches of a cluster near the Double Cluster. Following the arc of stars coming off of NGC 869 I started to see what was
described as a stick figure with arms up next to its head flexing. People see different things in the asterism, but since I enjoy weightlifting, I'm going to support the name "Muscleman Cluster" coined by John Davis (
as told by Phil Harrington).
Stock 2 sounded like a strange name at first. It's actually part of a
catalog of open clusters and Stock 2 is the second object out of 24 in that
catalog named after Jürgen Stock.
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| The Double Cluster with line of pointer stars makes Stock 2 relatively easy to find if you go looking for it. |
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| It's also called the Strong Man or Muscleman Cluster because it resembles a stick figure in the double bicep flex bodybuilding pose. |
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| Here is my interpretation of the Muscleman Cluster asterism, with a little trapezoid for the bodybuilder's banana hammock. |
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| An outline of the bodybuilder in the Muscleman Cluster. |
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| Stock 2 appears in my copy of Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas |
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