Telescope
Takahashi FSQ106N Refractor @ f5
Astro-Physics 1200GTO Mount
Camera
SBIG ST-11000M Class 2
SBIG Colour Filter FWL-8
Image
Acquisition
MaxIm DL V4.53
Date Taken
26 Januaryr 2006, 5-6 February 2007
Moon phase 20% & 60%, mag 3.0, mag 4.5 sky.
Exposure Details
R
= 30 x 60 sec 1x1 binned
G = 20 x
60 sec 1x1 binned
B = 38
x 60 sec 1x1 binned
Lum 19 x 300 sec 1x1
binned
MaxIm sub-exp ratios 1:1:1
Images dithered
CCD Temp @ -25°C
Image Processing
Raw Lum, RGB, Dark, Bias, Flat and
Flat Dark frames acquired in MaxIm.
Raw images reduced
& combined, normalised and gradients removed
in CCDStack
Colour
combine and final stretching and colour balancing in PS CS2
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Also Known As
M45
Open Cluster
NGC1952 Largest area of Nebulosity
Constellation
Taurus
Position
RA and Dec
In
this image North is ~30°
left
of top centre. The
image centre is at SAO 76185
RA: 03h
47m 29s
DEC: +24°
01m 11s
Highest Altitude at This Site
Approx 66°
Distance
About
440 light years.
Size & Magnitude
This field is approx 233 x 155 arcminutes - ie
~ 4 x 2.5 Moon diameters.
The brightest star is Alcyone at mag 2.85.
What it is
M45 is a very young open star cluster
- gravitationally associated - passing through a dusty area of the Milky
Way galaxy. The blue nebulosity areas are reflection nebulae caused
by inter-stellar dust reflecting the blue light of the hot, young stars.
The cluster is about 12 light years in diameter and contains approximately
500 stars in total. It is dominated by young, hot blue stars. Up to
14 can be seen with the naked eye depending on local observing conditions,
although 6 is more typical in the UK. The
total mass contained in the cluster is estimated to be about 800 solar
masses.
The
cluster contains many brown dwarfs, which are objects with less than
about 8% of the Sun's mass, not heavy enough for nuclear fusion reactions
to start in their cores and become proper stars. They may constitute
up to 25% of the total population of the cluster, although they contribute
less than 2% of the total mass.
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