| Open Cluster M37 in Auriga |
Music: Long Train Runnin' by Doobie Brothers
M37 is the most beautiful of three open clusters in the constellation Auriga. M37 contains 1,890 suns spread across a region of 20 light years, at a
distance from us of 4,400 light years. The brilliant orange star in the center is the brightest of about a dozen "red giants" in the cluster, whose visual
orange-red color contrasts clearly with surrounding young blue-white stars when viewed through my 140 mm refractor. Red giants develop late in the
evolution of a star, when nuclear fuel is declining, and the outer envelope of the star expands to hundreds of times its original size. When our sun enters its
red giant stage, the edge of the sun will extend to earth's orbit, burning out all life.
This photo was obtained with a TEC 140mm refractor, combining 30 minutes red, 30 minutes green, and 45 minutes blue exposures with an ST-10XME
camera.
distance from us of 4,400 light years. The brilliant orange star in the center is the brightest of about a dozen "red giants" in the cluster, whose visual
orange-red color contrasts clearly with surrounding young blue-white stars when viewed through my 140 mm refractor. Red giants develop late in the
evolution of a star, when nuclear fuel is declining, and the outer envelope of the star expands to hundreds of times its original size. When our sun enters its
red giant stage, the edge of the sun will extend to earth's orbit, burning out all life.
This photo was obtained with a TEC 140mm refractor, combining 30 minutes red, 30 minutes green, and 45 minutes blue exposures with an ST-10XME
camera.
