Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Taurus (Tau)  ·  Contains:  11 Tau  ·  13.12  ·  16 Tau  ·  17 Tau  ·  175 Andromache  ·  18 Tau  ·  19 q Tau  ·  20 Tau  ·  21 Tau  ·  22 Tau  ·  23 Tau  ·  24 Tau  ·  25 eta Tau  ·  26 Tau  ·  27 Tau  ·  28 Tau  ·  33 Tau  ·  Alcyone  ·  Asterope  ·  Atlas  ·  Celaeno  ·  Electra  ·  IC 349  ·  IC 353  ·  Maia  ·  Maia nebula  ·  Merope  ·  Merope nebula  ·  NGC 1432  ·  NGC 1435  ·  And 12 more.
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Pleiades Star Cluster, Rodney Watters
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Pleiades Star Cluster

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Pleiades Star Cluster, Rodney Watters
Powered byPixInsight

Pleiades Star Cluster

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Description

The Pleiades star cluster is clearly visible in the northern night sky during the southern hemisphere summer. It is located in the constellation of Taurus the bull and leads a path through the sky ahead of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major (the Dog). Mythology surrounding the cluster is extensive. Subaru, the Japanese car company has based its name on the Japanese word for Pleiades. The stories surrounding the Pleiades include mention of seven sisters, one of whom tradition says is invisible. Hence the appearance of six stars on the Subaru car logo.

The data for this image was captured using a Canon EOS 200mm f2.8 L USM lens connected to a QSI 683 astronomy CCD camera. Total exposure time for this image is approximately 3.5 hours of data captured prior to processing the image with the Pixinsight astronomy processing software.

The Pleiades cluster is comprised of a number of relatively young hot blue stars that have formed in the last 100 million years (mere babies in cosmic terms). The blue nebulosity surrounding the cluster is interstellar dust which is glowing due to the presence of the nearby stars.

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  • Pleiades Star Cluster, Rodney Watters
    Original
  • Final
    Pleiades Star Cluster, Rodney Watters
    B

B

Description: Applied SCNR following recommendation from Rick Stevenson.
Improves the image by bringing out the blue in the cluster.

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Pleiades Star Cluster, Rodney Watters