Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  38 Cnc  ·  39 Cnc  ·  40 Cnc  ·  41 eps Cnc  ·  42 Cnc  ·  47 del Cnc  ·  Asellus Australis  ·  Beehive  ·  Beehive cluster  ·  Cancer  ·  IC 2388  ·  IC 2390  ·  IC 2392  ·  M 44  ·  NGC 2624  ·  NGC 2625  ·  NGC 2632  ·  NGC 2637  ·  NGC 2643  ·  NGC 2647  ·  Praesepe  ·  Praesepe Cluster  ·  The star Asellus Australis (δCnc)
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M44 Beehive Cluster, Larry S
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M44 Beehive Cluster

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M44 Beehive Cluster, Larry S
Powered byPixInsight

M44 Beehive Cluster

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Description

Messier 44 is an open cluster also known as Praesepe. It lies in the constellation of Cancer about 577 light years away, and has a core radius of 11.4 light years. Its age is estimated to be 625 to 795 million years. There is a line of faint galaxies running through this image vertically, as well. Most are 150-200+ million light years distant and receding. Just a dusty spot in this image, NC 2647 is a 15th magnitude spiral galaxy 800 million light years from our solar system, and receding at about 5.5% speed of light.

Captured RGB frames about three weeks ago while waiting for another target to get into view. I intended to get more data, including luminance, but there have been no clear nights since that weren't brutally cold/windy, and looks to be cloudy for another 2 weeks... Winter has not been kind to my astronomy hobby so far this year.

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M44 Beehive Cluster, Larry S

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