Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Taurus (Tau)  ·  Contains:  25 Tau)  ·  Barnard's Merope Nebula  ·  IC 349  ·  The star Alcyone (η Tau  ·  The star Merope (23 Tau)
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Pleiades Detail, Ray Blais
Pleiades Detail
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Pleiades Detail

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Pleiades Detail, Ray Blais
Pleiades Detail
Powered byPixInsight

Pleiades Detail

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Description

M45, also historically nicknamed the Seven Sisters, is one of the most prominent celestial objects visible to the naked eye.  In my youth I used to view the splendor of the Pleiades in a pair of 7x50 binoculars, and it never disappointed me.  The image is a close up of part of the Pleiades showing the bright stars Alcyone (mid-left) and Merope (bottom-right).  The Pleiades is one of the nearest and certainly the brightest of all the open star clusters as seen from our vantage point on Earth.  Lying at an approximate distance of 440 light years, the reflection nebulae here are illuminated by these hot blue luminous stars, revealing finely structured wisps and striations.

Total exposures are 60 x 180s
R : 15 x 180s
G : 15 x 180s
B : 15 x 180s
L : 15 x 180s

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Pleiades Detail, Ray Blais