The Pleiades
M45, known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, is an open star cluster about 445 light-years from Earth containing over a thousand stars that are loosely bound by gravity.
December 16, 2023
I decided to try a panorama of the Pleiades last night. Processing this was very difficult to get the colors between the two panels to balance and match, and there’s some stacking and star removal artefacts that could be handled better, but not bad for my first go at it. I wanted to see some more of the dust surrounding this region, and it did not disappoint!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator, Starnet
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Dec. 15, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 60x180” (3h)
Integration Time: 3h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
November 29, 2023
I went back and reprocessed my Pleiades data with my new processing techniques using Siril. The new technique really helps to achieve a better color balance and bring out the detail in the fainter dust!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator, Starnet
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 6, 2023, Nov. 7, 2023, Nov. 10, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 30×30″(15m), 60×60″(1h), 20x120”(40m)
Integration Time: 1h55m
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
November 6, 2023
My first image of the Pleiades. The blue color of this object is beautiful. You can also see this object decently well with the naked eye from suburban/rural skies, though of course you won’t see all the dust and nebulosity, just the stars. I know there’s lots more dust and gas around this object, so i may bring in some longer exposures to see if I can catch more of it in the future. My imaging time for this target is somewhat limited since it comes out fairly late and I’m usually trying to get the gear put away at a reasonable hour. I’ll eventually make the jump to full night imaging, but I’ll need some dew heaters to keep away the frost!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: DSS, Siril, Photoshop, AstroFlat Pro, NoiseXterminator, StarXterminator, Astronomy Tools Actions Set
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 6, 2023, Nov. 7, 2023, Nov. 10, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 30×30″(15m), 60×60″(1h), 20x120”(40m)
Integration Time: 1h55m
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00