M44, the Beehive Cluster |
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| M44 is one of only two Messier objects (both
open clusters) in the small constellation of Cancer. This is one
of the first objects I recall seeing as a faint cloud to the
naked eye at a dark site (Newfound Gap in the Smoky Mountains)
that resolved into stars with binoculars. What a site! In researching about this cluster, I found a passage that mentions Galileo being the first to resolve the stars in this "small cloud". I guess I shared Galileo's experience that night! There are about 200-350 stars in this cluster, which was determined by their sharing a "common proper motion" through the sky. In other words, all the stars in the cluster are moving in the same general direction together. These 200-odd stars span occupy just ten light years of space. Consider that the nearest star to the Sun (Proxima Centauri) is more than four light-years away, 200+ stars in a 10-light-year radius sounds positively crowded! This image is a very short "first proper light" for my Takahashi FSQ-106. I had purchased that telescope used, and it arrived with some lenses out of alignment, resulting in misshaped stars. This is the first image I shot after repairs, showing nice round stars. |
| Constellation: Cancer |
| When Visible: January - May |
| Distance: 600 Light-years |
| Date: April 2006 |
| Location: West Chester, Ohio |
| Exposure Details: L: 12 x 15 Seconds, Binned 1x1 R: 12 x 15 Seconds, Binned 1x1 G: 12 x 15 Seconds, Binned 1x1 B: 12 x 15 Seconds, Binned 1x1 |
| Equipment Used: Takahashi FSQ-106N on a Takahashhi EM200 Temma-2 mount. SBIG STL-6303 camera with 5-position filter wheel and Astrodon LRGB filters. Unguided short exposures. |
| Acquisition Software : MaximDL, TheSky6 |
| Processing Software: MaximDL, Photoshop CS, IrFanView |