M45

This is M45, the Pleiades, and it is the first image I've produced of an object that is visible to the naked eye. Many people confuse the Pleiades with the little dipper, since it is somewhat dipper shaped, although, in this image, the star that makes up the handle didn't fit, so all you really see in this image are the bowl stars. The Pleiades is also known as the Seven sisters, although more than a dozen stars can be see with the naked eye under good conditions. In Japan, this open cluster is known as Subaru, which is where the car got its name.

This cluster is actually made up of about 500 stars, and is fairly close at about 380 light years away. The blue nebulosity is caused by starlight reflecting off the remnants of the gas and dust that gave birth to these stars about 100 million years ago.

Object	M45 - Open Cluster
Constellation	Taurus
Date Aquired	12/28/2003
Camera	ST-2000XM with CFW-8
Exposure	5x6 Min R (1x1), 5x3 Min G (1x1), 4x4.8 Min B (1x1)
Telescope	Takahashi FS-60C @ F/5.9
Mount	Losmandy G11