More than astrophotography, an astronomical exploration.
Beehive Cluster
David Cruz · Astromidnight
In Cancer, 600 light-years away, about a thousand stars were born together 600 to 700 million years ago: the Beehive. Behind them, galaxies hundreds of millions of light-years away peep through as small smudges.
| Catalogue | Messier 44 · NGC 2632 · Praesepe |
| Type | Open cluster |
| Distance | ≈ 600 light-years |
| Field | 113.9′ × 77.0′ |
| Scale | 1.35″ / pixel |
| Orientation | −49° · north-west up |
| RA (centre) | 08h 40m 13s |
| DEC (centre) | +19° 40′ 38″ |
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Objects in field | M44 · 4 notable stars · 6 background galaxies |
Distance and age of M44 according to NASA. The distances of the galaxies were estimated from the redshift in SIMBAD and NED (H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc). No real width: the background galaxies are at very different distances from the cluster. Positions of all objects taken from SIMBAD.
3 h 00 min of light
Each tick is a 240-second exposure. 45 in total, with the camera at −10 °C and gain 100. Calibrated with 50 darks, 50 flats and 45 bias. The Moon stayed below 35 % illumination throughout.
TS-Optics 150mm/6" ONTC f/4 Newtonian (carbon tube)
ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
ZWO AM5
ZWO ASI120MM Mini
TS-Optics Maxfield .95X Coma Corrector · ZWO EAF
Adobe Photoshop · Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight · ZWO ASIAIR
São Pedro da Gafanhoeira, Évora · 358 m
Bortle 3