Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  HD16605  ·  HD16627  ·  HD16655  ·  HD16679  ·  HD16693  ·  HD16705  ·  HD16719  ·  HD16728  ·  HD16782  ·  HD16857  ·  M 34  ·  NGC 1039
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M34, 



    
        

            Massimo Di Fusco
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M34

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M34, 



    
        

            Massimo Di Fusco
Powered byPixInsight

M34

Acquisition details

Dates:
Sept. 21, 2022
Frames:
30×60(30′)
Integration:
30′
Avg. Moon age:
25.35 days
Avg. Moon phase:
18.48%

RA center: 02h42m07s.90

DEC center: +42°4500.2

Pixel scale: 1.034 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: 179.232 degrees

Field radius: 0.735 degrees

WCS transformation: thin plate spline

More info:Open 

Resolution: 4192x2944

File size: 70.6 MB

Locations: Balcony, FERRARA, FE, Italy

Data source: Backyard

Description

Messier 34 (also known as M34 or NGC 1039) is a large open cluster located in the constellation of Perseus. It was probably discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. Messier described it as "A cluster of small stars a little below the parallel of γ (Andromedae). In an ordinary telescope of 3 feet one can distinguish the stars. "
M34 is 1500 light years away from us and includes stars of mass between 0.12 and 1 solar mass. It extends for about 35 'into the firmament, which translates into a real radius of 7.5 light years at the distance at which it is located. The cluster is barely visible to the naked eye in very dark conditions, well away from city lights and can be seen through binoculars when light pollution is low.
The age of this cluster is between that of the Pleiades (100 million years) and that of the Hyades (800 million years). In particular, the comparison between known stellar spectra and predicted values ​​from stellar evolutionary models suggest 200-250 million years.

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