M47 Splashy Open Cluster in Puppis

Uploaded 4/9/10

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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 HOME GALAXIES EMISSION NEBS REFLECTION NEBS COMETS GLOBULARS OPEN CLUST PLANETARIES LINKS