M45 - 16.3.2022 at 19.56 - 16.3.2022 at 20.50 Helsinki Observation number 105748

Visibility I / V

Tero Hiekkalinna, Ursa (Helsinki)

Screens, Pleiades, Subaru, Seven Siblings, Little Ottawa, and Messier 45. This bright and open-eyed constellation has many names. It is located in the constellation Taurus about 440 light-years from Earth. The image shows a reflection fog that reflects the blue light of the brightest stars. Exposure for 5 hours and 20 minutes.

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Additional information

Observation target
- Deep space object
Designation
- M45
Constellation
- Taurus

Nebulae
- Reflection nebula
  
  Reflection nebula is gas only lit up by nearby stars. It should not be mix up with emission nebula, where hot stars nearby cause the gas glow. But then reflection nebulae are visible in the same areas with emission nebulae. The appearance of reflection nebulae is irregular, and many of them need bigger instruments to be visible.
  
  Reflection nebulae are glowing blue around the stars of Pleyades. Image Juha Parvio.
  
  The blue glowing reflection nebula NGC 1333 around the bright star is in Perseus. Image Timo Inkinen.
  
  The bluish reflection nebula NGC 2023 is located lower left from the Horsehead Nebula. The Horsehead Nebula itself is a dark nebula in the front of red emission nebula IC 434. In the left side there is NGC 2024 aka Flame Nebula. Image Samuli Vuorinen.
  
  NGC 7538 in Cepheus is a combination of reflection and emission nebula. Image Timo Inkinen.
  
  Rflection nebulae (LBN 550, 552 and 555) and dark nebulae (LDN 1228) in Cepheus. Image Juha Kepsu.
  
  Reclection nebula vdB 141 in Cepheus. Image Tero Turunen.
Star clusters and asterisms
- Open cluster
  
  Open cluster is an irregular group of tens or hundreds of stars. It can be visible as separate stars or a bit fuzzy spot with small instrument.
  
  There is the open cluster M52 on the right edge of the image. The red emission nebula is the Bubble Nebula. Image Jyrki Grönroos.
  
  The open cluster M45 aka Pleyades. Image Juha Parvio.
  
  The pair of the open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884 aka the Double Cluster in Perseus. Image Lauri Kangas.
  
  M34 is also an open cluster in Perseus. Image Teppo Laitinen.
  
  The Wild Duck Cluster M11 is an exceptional dense open cluster. Image Jaakko Asikainen.
  
  The Ptolemy's Cluster M7 is located in a rich-star area of The Milky Way in Sagittarius. Image Toni Veikkolainen.

Technical information

Stand: iOptron CEM60

Recording tube and camera: Sky-Watcher 80ED pro-series + ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Tracking tube and camera: Orion ShortTube 80mm + ZWO ASI120MM mini

Polar Orientation Tube and Camera: Celestron 9 × 50 Viewfinder Telescope + ZWO ASI224MC (Polar Orientation with SharpCap Pro)

Sky camera: ZWO ASI120MC

Engine focus: ZWO EAF

As imaging software I use: NINA - Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy 1.11, PHD2 and Cartes du Ciel.

Image Calibration, Stacking, and Processing: PixInsight 1.8

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M45 - 16.3.2022 at 19.56 - 16.3.2022 at 20.50 Helsinki Observation number 105748