| Open Cluster M41 in Canis Major |
Four degrees below the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, the 100 stars of Open Cluster M41 fill the view of a
wide-field telescopic eyepiece. At a distance of 2300 light years, most of its stars are blue-white, but a few red
giant stars provide a variety of color both visually and photographically. At an age of around 200 million years, it
is a mature cluster, as most open clusters will eventually disperse due to interactions with other galactic stars and
giant molecular clouds.
This image combined 10 minutes of red, 8 minutes green and 12 minutes of blue exposures, all unbinned. An
ST10XME camera was used through a TEC140 refractor and an AP reducer at the Hidden Lake Observatory.
wide-field telescopic eyepiece. At a distance of 2300 light years, most of its stars are blue-white, but a few red
giant stars provide a variety of color both visually and photographically. At an age of around 200 million years, it
is a mature cluster, as most open clusters will eventually disperse due to interactions with other galactic stars and
giant molecular clouds.
This image combined 10 minutes of red, 8 minutes green and 12 minutes of blue exposures, all unbinned. An
ST10XME camera was used through a TEC140 refractor and an AP reducer at the Hidden Lake Observatory.
Music: Pictures at an Exhibition, by Mussorgsky
