Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Puppis (Pup)  ·  Contains:  M 46  ·  NGC 2437  ·  NGC 2438
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M46, Doug Summers
M46
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M46

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M46, Doug Summers
M46
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M46

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Description

Messier 46 has always been a favorite visual open cluster due to the presence of the small planetary NGC 2438 superimposed on the field. From Wikipedia, the cluster has on the order of 500 stars, is about 5K light years distant, and is roughly 250 million years young. I captured many more frames than are presented here. I down-selected about 1/2 of the frames to keep the FWHM respectable (given the object's lower altitude). At f/2.2, I think this exposure level seems about right.

Note that the Calabash Nebula is about 4 planetary widths to the right in the field. Only a small, very red elongation is visible in this image. Enjoy.

Comments

Revisions

  • M46, Doug Summers
    Original
  • M46, Doug Summers
    B
  • Final
    M46, Doug Summers
    C

B

Description: A bit of decon on the planetary, plus a tighter crop

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C

Description: SPCC, BXT, and GHS reprocessing, with a slightly increased crop.

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M46, Doug Summers