I was able to enjoy the absolute rarest of celestial alignments on April 16, 2014. I received a new piece of equipment and on the very same day had clear skies to try it out. This only happens maybe once or twice in a lifetime. I was able to image the Beehive Cluster in Praesepe, otherwise known as Messier 44. This magnificent cluster of stars has been known since classical times. The first recorded view through a telescope was made by Galileo himself in 1609 who remarked, "The so-called nebula is not a single star but consists of a mass of more than 40 stars." Today, astronomers estimate there are about 200 stars belonging to this cluster. My favorites are the clusters of three that look a bit like bees buzzing through the cosmos.
Photo Details
April 16, 2014
Orion 8" Astrograph on VX Mount
Nikon D3100 Camera - ISO 1600
Baader MPC Mark III Multi-Purpose Coma Corrector
Skyglow filter
Autoguider
27 sub-frames at 1.5 minutes/frame
Total Exposure Time = 40 mins 30 seconds
Image Stacking in Deep Sky Tracker
Image Processing in PhotoShop
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