M46/M47
Open Clusters in Puppis Milkyway

 

            
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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
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