M47
Splashy Open Cluster in Puppis

 

            
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 Two beautiful
            open clusters dance in this 1.5 degree wide field of view. In
            the center, the primary object is M47, a rich collection of both
            bright and very dim stars superimposed on a dense Milky Way field.
            If it were not superimposed on the stars of our galaxy, this
            object would surely rank as one of the most spectacular in the
            sky. The numerous background stars tends to dillute the magnificence
            of this cluster, however it is still a stunning object due to
            its brilliant blue O and B stars, and hundreds of faint reddish
            background members.

            
M47 is 4.4th magnitude,
            and spans half a degree in size. Although 30 members are officially
            listed in Megastar, viewing this image at a distance will reveal
            a rich background glow of stars centered on the cluster. In the
            upper right (South) is the smaller and more distant cluster NGC2425,
            only 3.3 arc minutes ins size, 10th magnitude, and filled with
            orange dim stars. Only a few extremely faint background galaxies
            pepper the field, since it is within the "Zone of Avoidance"
            along the Milky Way's plane.

Optics:  8" f/4 Newtonian Astrograph w/Baader MPCC Coma Corrector
Platform:  Astrophysics AP1200  
Camera:  Hutech Modified Canon XTi @ ISO800
Exposure:  12 x 5m
Location:  Payson, Arizona
Elevation:  5150 ft.
Sky:  Seeing  4/10, Transparency 9/10
Outside Temperature:  35F
Processing Tools:  Photoshop CS2, Images Plus 3.82
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