The Beehive Cluster / Praesepe M 44 in constellation cancer and seven asteroids

Martin Timpe

2024-01-11 04:00

Messier 44, also known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe, is a bright and prominent open star cluster located in the constellation Cancer. It is located approximately 610 light-years away from Earth. It is one of the closest open star clusters to our solar system. As the cluster lies close to the ecliptic, asteroids from the solar system can often be observed in its vicinity, depending on the date of capture.

</images/M44/M44_asteroids_DT.jpg> — M 44 and seven asteroids, image data: f=430mm, f/3.3 35x180s Canon EOS 6Da ISO800

Sh 2-230: A HII-Region Comprising Many More Deep-Sky Object

Martin Timpe

2024-01-10 01:50

Sh 2-230 is a very faint and extended emission nebula that encompasses a number of other a number of other Sharpless objects in the heart of Auriga. The Sharpless 2 catalogue (Sh 2) is a list of 312 HII (Hydrogen Emission Nebula) regions with the intention, to form a complete list of these objects north of declination δ = -27°. The first edition of the catalogue from 1953 was labelled Sharpless 1 (Sh 1).

</galleries/02_nebulas/180_SH_2_230_125x180s_DT.jpg> — Sharpless 2-230 comprising Sh 2-234 (IC 417), Sh 2-236 (IC 410, NGC 1893), Sh 2-229 (IC 405), M38 (NGC 1912) and NGC 1907

The Pleiades, Messier 45, in Constellation Taurus

Martin Timpe

2024-01-10 00:00

The Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters, Messier 45, and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of about 444 light years, it is among the nearest star clusters to Earth. It is the nearest Messier object to Earth, and is the most obvious cluster to the naked eye in the night sky.

</galleries/03_starsclusters/0130_M45_45x180s_430mm_f33_DT_90.jpg> — Messier 45, the Pleiades, image data: f=430mm, f/3.3 50x180s Canon EOS 6Da ISO800

Mars close to Constellation Gemini on 25.03.2023

Martin Timpe

2023-04-23 23:30

A wide angle shot on the island La Palma shortly after new moon. Due to the long exposure times the planet Mars can be seen as a bright reddish-yellow spot in the lower right corner whereas some well known deep-sky objects (the open cluster M35, the jelly-fish nebula IC 443 ant others) can be seen in the upper half of the image. The view was unfortunately a bit clouded by Sahara dust as a result of the weather phenomenon "Kalima" and the moon crescent illuminated thereby the sky already considerably.

</galleries/04_solarsystem/0610_Mars_Gemini_2022_03_25_135mm_CanonEOS_60Da_ISO800_194x60s_DT.jpg> — Mars close to Constellation Gemini on 25.03.2023, Picture taken on La Palma, 194x60s, telephoto lens f=135mm, ISO800 mit Canon EOS60Da

Tadpoles in the Cosmic Pond: IC 410 and NGC 1893

Martin Timpe

2023-02-20 00:00

In the constellation Auriga on clear winter nights one can find the open cluster NGC 1893 embedded in the emission nebula IC 410. While NGC 1893 can be observed visually using a telescope with proper aperture the faint nebula IC 410 is a real hard case for the visual observer and much easier to catch by photography. Due to some smaller but prominent star formation regions the nebula IC 410 is nicknamed as the "tadpole nebula". IC 410 was discovered on September 25, 1892 by the (german) astronomer Max Wolf (June 21, 1863 - October 3, 1932) while the open cluster NGC 1893 was discovered already earlier on January 22, 1827 by the (british) astronomer John Herschel (Mar 7, 1792 - May 11, 1871).

</galleries/02_nebulas/131_IC410_NGC1893_SHO_NG_600s_10xHa_11xO3_15xS2_DT_WM.jpg> — IC 410 and NGC 1893, camera Atik 460EXmono, optics Lacerta Newton f=1000mm f/4, 2023-02-08, Bad Kreuznach, Germany

What can be seen in the image is what cannot be seen visually through a telescope. The image is presented in false colors resulting from an (amongst astro-photographers widely known) image acquisition technique using narrow band filters.