Star Clusters
Messier 46 in Puppis

This open cluster in the southern constellation of Puppis is around 5000 lightyears distant and estimated to be approx 250 million years in age.

Between us and the cluster is a planetary nebula, the remains of a Sun-like star that has expanded into a red giant and thrown off successive shells of its material. This is a stage that our star will go through in around 5 billion years.

This LRGB image is the result of 75 minutes of data capture on an evening in January 2022, remotely imaged from Spain with an SBIG STL-6303 camera through a 12.5-inch Planewave CDK reflector.

Date: 02/01/2022

Photographer: Graham Wilcock

Messier 46 in Puppis

This open cluster in the southern constellation of Puppis is around 5000 lightyears distant and estimated to be approx 250 million years in age.

Between us and the cluster is a planetary nebula, the remains of a Sun-like star that has expanded into a red giant and thrown off successive shells of its material. This is a stage that our star will go through in around 5 billion years.

This LRGB image is the result of 75 minutes of data capture on an evening in January 2022, remotely imaged from Spain with an SBIG STL-6303 camera through a 12.5-inch Planewave CDK reflector.

Date: 02/01/2022

Photographer: Graham Wilcock