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octane2 — The Pleiades in Taurus
Published: 2006-10-25 16:05:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 22045; Favourites: 386; Downloads: 496
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Description
Full view for maximum effect.The Pleiades (M45) in Taurus
The Pleiades (Seven Sisters in Greek mythology) are the most famous of all the open star clusters. Approximately 500 stars adorn the black velvet sky. This first magnitude cluster is quite young and is easily visible to the naked eye. It somewhat resembles a smaller version of the Big Dipper. At least 6 hot blue stars are readily visible; those with trained eyes can see more.
Because of its large diameter (2 degrees), M45 is best seen in binoculars, or through a medium focal length telescope. A faint veil of nebulosity surrounds the brighest stars in the Pleiades, with the most easily seen patch being the Merope Nebula (IC 349), which surrounds the star Merope.
These reflection nebulae are not remnants of the gas cloud where the Pleiades were born, rather, they are just passing through interstellar dust and cloud.
The major stars which comprise the Pleiades have some beautiful names (Seven Sisters); Maia, Taygeta, Merope, Alcyone, Electra, Asterope and Celaeno.
In some ancient cultures, people would engage in ceremonies to honour the dead when the Pleiades had reached the highest point in the sky at midnight. Ancient Aztecs believed the Pleiades would be overhead at midnight the day the world would end.
This composite consists of one set of images; one set of 15 images taken at ISO-800.
Each individual image was a 240 second exposure.
IRIS was used to calibrate each image (dark subtraction [median combined master dark] and flat field division [median combined master flat {lights and darks}]), to register, align, and finally stack.
Photoshop CS2 was used to adjust levels, curves, saturation, colour balance, noise reduction, frame and resize the final composite.
Target: The Pleiades (M45) in Taurus
Date: Sunday, October 22nd, 2006
Time: First image: 02:45 AM
Time: Last image: 04:08 AM
Location: Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Camera: Canon EOS-350D
Telescope: Saxon ED80
Focal length: 600mm
Mount: Piggy-backed onto an 8" Meade LX90 LNT (F/10)
Autoguided: Through 8" Meade LX90 LNT (F/10)
Guider: Meade DSI-C
Alignment: Equatorial; via equatorial wedge
Exposure: 15 x 240 seconds @ ISO-800 (RAW)
Software: IRIS: Calibration, registration, stacking; Adobe Photoshop CS2: post-processing and framing
Related content
Comments: 180
Is this lower to the horizon from where you are?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
CapnSkusting,
Yes, it is. It doesn't rise more than 30 degrees, or so.
It's that noticeable, eh?
I'm going to reshoot this, but give it four hours rather than one.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I couldn't tell from the photo.
I was just guesstimating that it may not be the easiest of targets for you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
CapnSkusting,
Ah, alright.
It is easier than M31 and M33, that's for sure.
The best time to shoot this will be on the weekend of 18th and 19th November, 2006. I will be heading up to the same place, and I think I will reshoot it.
Orion will be next on December 16th.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Absolutely breathtaking. I always look forward to new deviations from you- They're gorgeous!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
SamusFairchild,
Your words are far too kind.
Thank you.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh and my telescope told me that one myth surrounding this cluster is that There were seven sisters. One came to earth to be with the man she loved and thus now one can only see 6 with the naked eye. This suggests that at one point there were 7 visible but one faded.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
Ah, yes, the Autostar descriptions. I hadn't read that one. Very nice.
Cheers.
Regards,
h
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hi Man. Long time since we have spoken. I now have a Meade ETX 105 with UHTC Coatings! Last night was the first chance to use it. I had a good look at the Pleiades for about quarter of an hour (Time). I'm hoping to get some adaptors so i can plug my cameras into the camera port of the ETX tube.
I was wondering any tips on seeing nebulae better or would you perhaps recomend just letting my night vision develop more?
Thanks man, Great shot!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
Congratulations on purchasing your telescope. Despite being a small telescope, you'll be able to see quite a few objects with it.
You'll most likely need a T-adapter and a T-ring to suit your camera. At least that's how it works with SLR-type cameras. I'm not entirely sure how well the ETX will perform for astrophotography; you may put a lot of strain on the plastic gears.
If you're in a really light polluted area, it's going to be very difficult to view nebulae. You may want to invest in a UHC-S filter of some description. Baader and Lumicon make some good ones which are affordable. I've never used any, though.
Your best bet is to get out to the countryside and enjoy the darkness.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I live in a town in the middle of Wales. WHich is pretty much couintry side. Certainly not a city by any means. I live on the side of a valley. The most troublesome lights are the 8 big floodlights of the football training ground down in the valley so im planning a way to block them out. I should be able to position myself so trees block them out.
Yes I woulding like to try anything to strenuous with the scope. It does have as port on the back for astrophotography. But if I can find a way (I do know there is an adaptor) to attach my digital slr syle camera then it shouldn't be a problem. The Film SLR Nikons i have are very heavy, but the digital is like a feather in comparison.
I do know of a perfect spot out in the hills where you don't even get the slight haze from the town nearby, it is like standing in space itself, so I must try there sometime.
Thanks
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
That sounds ideal.
Are you able to see the haze and glow of the Milky Way in the night sky? That's usually a good indication of how dark your site is.
The easiest way to get into astrophotography is to purchase a piggy-back mount which you attach to the top of your telescope, and then attach a camera with a lens on there and expose away whilst the telescope tracks. You will need to be polar aligned, first.
I look forward to your attempts at astrophotography.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Cool! Yes I think using averted bvision I can see the milky way faintly if i've been outside for a while, and that is with the naked eye and without blocking out the lights of the town or the house.
Are any of your photos taken piggybacked?
Thanks,
Rhys
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
Pretty much all my photographs, except the M42, NGC 2070, and M45 were taken in piggy-backed configuration.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I am surprised an inspired!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
I'm glad to hear it!
A friend of mine has an ETX-70 and he's done some amazing work; he's captured a lot of the Messier and Caldwell catalogue. Unfortunately, the little workhorse caved in this week; I think the gears have given up the ghost.
You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you're able to do. Before long, you'll get aperture fever and want to purchase something bigger.
I'm in the process of selling my equipment at the moment.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow. Why are you selling up? I've just come in after being out for about 50 minutes with the scope. I think that thing is giving up the damn ghost. All my succesful alignments arent in reality succesful just thinks they are, if i slew it to the alignment star to center it i get alignment failed check stars. Bloody thing, it needs to check it's stars. The gears are sounding more rattelly and I havn't seen ANYTHING in it yet apart from the pleiades and I had to find those myself because the scope was way out at least 15 degrees. I'm loosing any tiny interest i had very quickly. Ive had a bad enough day as it is let alone the damn scope. The location coordinates are correct, the time is correct, Aligned north, Tube level, Tripod level. The bloody thing is just stupid. If I had a laptop I would control it with that instead but I dont.
Thanks,
Cya
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ChamberMonk,
I'm upgrading to far superior equipment.
I will be keeping my ED80 apochromatic refractor and am going to purchase a Losmandy G-11 mount. I'll then spend a few bucks and purchase a 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain catadioptric reflector as my main imaging telescope.
My friend will lend me a short tube 80mm refractor to use a guidescope in the mean time.
I'm not sure what could be causing your errors.
Don't give up, keep at it; you will be rewarded.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
lol "Spend a few bucks" Damn I wish I had those bucks! lol. Yeah i'm gonna try and get my coordinates from a number of places and compare them, then reset the autostar and set it all up myself.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
The Pleiades. So pretty, even with the naked ee in a city, they're distinctive. And Now it turns out I'm likely to be able to make a job out of staring at them... Its so cool. (unfortunately, the bright pretty ones aren't as interesting for work, but...)
The nebula looks really good too in this shot. Bravo sir...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
minion-for-hire,
You're right, even from a light polluted city, you're still able to make out this gorgeous patch of the sky.
What will you be doing for work? I envy people with astronomy-related professions.
Thanks for the kind words.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'm currently working on the Initial Mass function for low mass stars, analysing IR-band images from the Spitzer Space Telecsope and the UKIRT. One of the clusters that has been studied a lot in this field is the Pleiades, which is why I commented on it. The actual data I'll be using is from deeper-field sources, because we're trying to get a generally applicable IMF.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
minion-for-hire,
That sounds like a lot of hard work, but, fun at the same time.
I envy you.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks.
The work is rewarding enough, when it happens. It can be a pain trying to get used to the computer system, but getting useful data out of it feels good.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Incredible.
I have always enjoyed looking at Pleiades - such a small but bright and noticable cluster.
I never realized that there was nebulae among the stars there as well.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
djorgensen,
I've always loved the Pleiades, too; it's one of my favourite clusters. It's definitely the biggest, that's for sure.
The nebula isn't as noticeable as it isn't a diffuse/emission nebula, rather, it's light which is being reflected (reflection nebula) off dust clouds.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
KawaiiBlueNeko,
Thank for your the kind words.
Regards,
H
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
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