M45 - the Pleiades

 

This is a well-known, easy to recognise open cluster of stars. Most people can see 6 stars with the naked eye if they look carefully, though some claim to see 7 and so the cluster is also known as the Seven Sisters. These are young stars, less than 100 million years old. Their light is illuminating a dust cloud through which they are passing. It is possible that the dust is a remnant of the gas cloud from which the stars formed.

 2012 Oct 21 - camera only, dark site

Canon EOS 5D MkII ISO6400 29x64s 100-400mm lens at 400mm f/5.6
HEQ5 equatorial mount, driven but not guided
2012 Oct 21 23:18:17-23:56:52 UT
From Rookhope 54.8N 2.1W 330m asl. Rural, almost no light pollution (3 Bortles)

 2011 Nov 19 - camera only, dark site

(Again!) This is an easy target but I have not been entirely happy with previous attempts. My previous best was too blue because the Moon was only 90 degrees or so away. I think this is better but still not quite right.

Canon EOS 5D MkII ISO6400 50x32s
Canon 100-400mm L IS lens @ 400mm f/5.6
HEQ5 equatorial mount, driven but not guided
2011 Nov 19 23:01:59-23:32:57 UT
From Rookhope 54.8N 2.1W 330m asl. Rural, almost no light pollution (3 Bortles)

 2010 Dec 11 - 254mm Newtonian, dark site

Canon EOS5DMkII 254mm Newtonian @ 1200mm 24 x 30s f/4.8 ISO6400 2010-12-11 20:40:12-20:55:09 UT
From Rookhope 54.8N 2.1W 330m asl. Rural, almost no light pollution (3 Bortles)

The nebulosity surrounding the Pleiades. I have tried several times to photograph this nebula from a suburban site but have hardly seen a trace of it, owing to light pollution. The present photo was taken from the village of Rookhope in the North Pennines and the result speaks for itself.

The spikes on the stars are caused by the thin metal vanes supporting the secondary mirror in the telescope. They diffract light coming in.

 2010 Oct 18 - 254mm Newtonian, dark site

The following is the first attempt from the less polluted rural site. It was taken with a waxing gibbous moon but nevertheless shows the nebula better. I hope to do even better soon.

Canon EOS5DMkII 254mm Newtonian @ 1200mm 14 x 15s f/4.8 ISO6400 2010-10-18 21:48:36-21:53:56 UT
From Rookhope 54.8N 2.1W 330m asl. Rural, almost no light pollution (3 Bortles)

By the way, stars are not pointed. The brightest stars here show points due to the diffraction of light by the 4 thin supports of the secondary mirror in my telescope.

 2009 Sep 26 - 254mm Newtonian, suburban site

This photo had just a long enough exposure to show some of the nebulosity despite being taken from my light-polluted site.

Canon EOS5DMkII 254mm Newtonian @ 1200mm 33 x 10s f/4.8 ISO3200 2009-9-26 22:09:00-22:17:15 UT
From Whitley Bay 55.1N 1.5W 10m asl. Suburban, significant light pollution (6.5 Bortles)

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