Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  38 Cnc  ·  39 Cnc  ·  40 Cnc  ·  41 Cnc)  ·  41 eps Cnc  ·  42 Cnc  ·  Almalaf (ε Cnc  ·  Beehive  ·  Beehive cluster  ·  HD73210  ·  HD73330  ·  HD73345  ·  HD73397  ·  HD73429  ·  HD73430  ·  HD73449  ·  HD73450  ·  HD73487  ·  HD73533  ·  HD73574  ·  HD73576  ·  HD73598  ·  HD73616  ·  HD73617  ·  HD73618  ·  HD73619  ·  HD73640  ·  HD73641  ·  HD73709  ·  HD73710  ·  And 30 more.
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M44, Præsepe, the Beehive Cluster, Richard Francis
Powered byPixInsight

M44, Præsepe, the Beehive Cluster

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M44, Præsepe, the Beehive Cluster, Richard Francis
Powered byPixInsight

M44, Præsepe, the Beehive Cluster

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

This image was made with a beta version of an X2 driver for the Kepler 4040 camera in TheSkyX, which was superseded soon after. Consequently the calibration data were not made with the same driver. It is perhaps because of this that I was unable to calibrate out the fixed-pattern artefacts (in quadrant form) characteristic of this sensor. I left a few remnants in the image, but to reduce the effects I had to suppress a lot of the low-level signal, which is a pity.

This is the central part of the Beehive Cluster, M44, also known as Praesepe ("manger" in Latin). This cluster, at about 600 light-years from Earth, is one of the closest open star clusters to us. Being relatively bright it has been known since classical times.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

M44, Præsepe, the Beehive Cluster, Richard Francis