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This seemingly simple open cluster known also as the "Beehive cluster" contains over 50 stars, and a horde of faint external galaxies amongst its members. At Magnitude 3.1, this ranks as one of the brightest in the entire sky, apart from the Pleiades and Hayades clusters. You'll always find a plethora of asteroids in this object as well, literally dozens of them at once because it is in the plane of the ecliptic as well.

Instrument:  8" f/1.5 Celestron Schmidt Camera
Platform:  Homemade GEM
Film:  Kodak Supra 400
CCD Autoguider: ST4
Exposure:  8mins
Filters:  NONE
Location:  Happy Jack, Arizona
Elevation:  6800 ft.
Sky:  Seeing 8/10, Transparency 10/10
Outside Temperature:  15 C
Processing: Photoshop, PW Pro.

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