OPEN CLUSTER M45, THE PLEIADES
The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is an open cluster in the constellation Taurus.
Reflection nebulosity surrounds many of the hot blue stars that are in the Pleiades. The nebulosity is actually thought to be a dust cloud in the interstellar medium that the stars happen to be passing through.
Roll mouse over image below to see common names of brighter stars. Click on image or Click Here to see full-resolution version (~3.7Mb):
Image acquisition and processing details:
| Telescope: | Takahashi Epsilon 180, f/2.8 |
| Mount: | Astro-Physics AP1200. |
| Camera: | SBIG ST-11000M cooled to -30C, guided by ST-402ME at -20C and E-finder. |
| Filters, Exposure Times: | AstroDon Red, Green, and Blue 220 mins each (22x10min each). Additional data was obtained but discarded. |
| Dates: | Dec 15, 16, 18, and 19, 2009. |
| Moon Phase: | Various near new moon (all data taken prior to moonrise). |
| Location: | Xanadu Observatory. |
| Software: | CCDCommander, MaximDL, FocusMax, TheSky, CCDStack, Adobe Photoshop CS4. |
| Notes: | This image was cropped from the original frame, which showed a significant red color gradient toward one edge. M45 is easily visible to the naked eye and is a good test of one's ability to focus distant objects. Good eyesight will allow resolution of a small asterism that resembles a "little dipper". Numerous ancient cultures referred to the Pleiades as "The Seven Sisters" or a similar phrase, however most people will not see seven bright stars with the eye. |
Below is another rendition of the Pleiades that I took with a smaller camera:
(click on image for maximum resolution):
Image acquisition and processing details:
| Telescope: | Takahashi Epsilon 180, f/2.8 |
| Mount: | Astro-Physics AP1200. |
| Camera: | SBIG ST-10XME cooled to -25C or -30C, internal guiding. |
| Filters, Exposure Times: | AstroDon Red, Green, and Blue 120 mins each (24x5min each), Luminance 48 min (24x2min). Additional data was obtained but discarded. |
| Dates: | Dec 20, 21, and 28, 2008. |
| Moon Phase: | Various (all data taken prior to moonrise). |
| Location: | Xanadu Observatory. |
| Software: | CCDCommander, MaximDL, FocusMax, TheSky, CCDInspector, CCDStack, Adobe Photoshop CS4. |
| Notes: | The blooming in the original data was severe and required considerable processing to remove it. Data where the blooms were has been imputed from the surrounding regions. |