M52

Click for full size image

M52 (to the left in the image above) is a beautiful open cluster found in a dense star field of the Milky Way band in the constellation Cassiopeia. Also visible to the right in the image is the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635). M52 is comprised of a wide variety of types of stars - from young blue stars to older yellow stars as can be seen in the contrasting colors of the photo.

Details:

• Date: 10/13/2005
• Exposure: Nikon D70, 40 X 30 seconds @ ISO 800
• Scope: Celestron 8" f/5 Newtonian
• Mount: AS-GT (CG-5), unguided
• Location: Smithfield, Utah
• Processed in Iris and Photoshop CS

While the image is composed of 40 subexposures, the lack of nebulocity around the Bubble Nebula could be remedied by much longer exposures (of which my mount is not quite suitable). The 80% full moon may also be responsible for washing out much of the nebulocity.