M46/M47 Open Clusters in Puppis Milkyway

Uploaded 4/11/08

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 One of the most colorful and spectacular cluster pairs in the winter sky is M46/M47. This 2.5 degree wide field displays stars of all spectral classes, with the blue supergiants in M47 just left of center taking the center stage. To its upper right the other dimmer but richer cluster is M46, with the small planetary nebula NGC2438 on its northern edges seen as a ghostly blue patch here. Also, if you look in the largest image, about two inches below this planetary is a small very red disk, that is another much dimmer planetary nebula M1-18, rated at 14th magnitude. Also of special note is the extremely orange 5th magnitude star just above M46, that isa K3 spectral class star.
Lens: Stellarvue SV80s at f/4.8 Exposure: 3 x 10m = 30 minutes Camera: Canon XTi Hutech Modified Mount: Home made GEM with Byers Starmaster Drive Location: Happy Jack, Arizona Elevation: 6800 ft. Sky: Seeing 8/10, Transparency 10/10 Outside Temperature: 35F Processing Tools: Photoshop CS2, Maxim DSLR HOME GALAXIES EMISSION NEBS REFLECTION NEBS COMETS GLOBULARS OPEN CLUST PLANETARIES LINKS