The Pleiades cluster is perhaps the most known cluster of all, and it has been mentioned since the earliest times. The stars composing the cluster are embedded in a nebulous material, a reflection nebula, which reflects the lights of the stars within it. Probably, the Pleiades cluster did not form from the nebula in which it is in, but rather it encountered it, in its voyage through space; this can be proved by the fact that their relative velocity is 11 km/sec. The age of the cluster is estimated to be 65 Millions years.
The Pleiades is a winter treat, and always a favorite.
November 20, 2008 10:40 PM
03 : 47.0 (h:m)
+24 : 07 (deg:m)
0.44 (kly)
1.6 (mag)
110.0 (arc min)
4,525 (Suns)
Pentax 105 SDHF
Takahashi EM-200 Jr
Canon 40D Unmodded
Area 51 Dark Sky Site, Florida
Equinox, Nebulosity
Nebulosity, Photoshop CS3
36m with 2m subs @ ISO1600
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Luminosity
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The image presented below was completely acquired and processed on a Mac, under OSX
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