Star Clusters


The Pleiades (aka Subaru, or Seven Sisters – M45) (wide)

This open star cluster is surrounded by clouds of dust. The dust closest to the bright, young stars reflects their blue color, but the more distant areas are very faint and brown.  This wider view of the Pleiades is perhaps not as dramatic as the close-up, but reveals much more of the surrounding dust. Scope: WO Star71 at f/4.9 Mount: AP Mach1 Camera: QSI583 Exposure: LRGB, 3 hrs 20 mins total


Hercules Cluster (M13)

M13 is a very popular target for visual observers because it is such an impressive sight. It contains hundreds of thousands of stars. As the name suggests, it is located in the constellation Hercules and is about 25,000 light years from Earth. I updated the previous version shot in late 2012. This new, sharper version was shot at a dark sky site (ITS) in August 2017. Scope: AT111EDT at f/5.7 Mount: AP Mach1 Camera: QSI 683wsg at –20C Exposure: LRGB, 3.1 hrs total


The Pleiades (aka Subaru or Seven Sisters, M45)

This open cluster of very bright, young stars is one of the best known objects in the night sky. It is significant in the mythology of many cultures, and therefore is known by many names. Yes, the Japanese automobile manufacturer takes its name and logo from the Japanese name for the cluster, Subaru. M45 is only about 400 light years from Earth – one of the nearest star clusters. It is located in the constellation Taurus. The stars themselves shine bright blue because they are so hot. The surrounding dust reflects this blue light to form the beautiful wispy structure. […]