Tag: Seven sisters

M45 Pleiades

Messier 45, sometimes called Seven Sisters, Pleiades, or Subaru, is an open cluster located in the constellation Taurus. The cluster contains many hot blue stars and it’s characterized by reflection nebulosity. The cluster is easily visible to the naked eye and therefore it has been used in the mythology of many cultures around the world.

The picture was created by stacking 80 pictures with a total integration time of 4 hours. In order to capture the nebulosity properly, the light pollution should be minimal, which I manage to experience during our trip to Milos Island. Unfortunately, the mount was not cooperating and in the declination axis occurred oscillations due to backlash. Therefore the stars are a bit oval. Maybe it’s time to upgrade the mount and pick something backlash-free. I would select something portable like Astrotrac 360 or Avalon Instruments M-Zero.

Technical details:

TelescopeNewton 150/600 mm
Aperture150 mm
Focal length660 mm
MountiOptron CEM25P
AutoguidingQHYCCD miniGuideScope 130 mm f/4.3, ZWO 174 MM
CameraZWO 071 Pro @-10C
CorrectorExplore Scientific HR coma corrector
FiltersAstronomik L-1 – UV IR Block Filter
Exposure60x180s, Gain 134, bin 1×1,
Date2018-09-15

M45 Pleiades

Probably the most famous open cluster, visible by the naked eye is called Pleiades, Subaru, or Seven Sisters. Charles Messier cataloged this DSO under number 45 (M45). This cluster is located in the constellation Taurus. It’s the closest cluster to the Solar system (430 light years), has 8 light years in diameter and it’s characterized by the nebulosity – reflective illumination of the space dust by the blue light of the hot, young stars. The brightest stars have names: Alcyone, Atlas, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Pleione, Celaeno, and Sterope.

M45 Pleiades