M45: The Pleiades Cluster
Camera: Starlight Xpress SXVF-H16 with FLI CFW-2-7 Filter Wheel
Mount: Losmandy G-11/Gemini
Scope: Astro-Physics Starfire AP130 EDF
Colors: L:R:G:B
Exposure Time: 120:60:60:60 minutes
Post-Production: MaxIm DL and Photoshop CS3
Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one of the brightest and closest open clusters. Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud a mere 400 light-years away, the Pleiades or Seven Sisters star cluster is well-known for its striking blue reflection nebulae.