NGC 1435 - Merope Nebula

 

The beautiful Merope Nebula in M45, the Pleiades star cluster. The nebula reflects the blue light from the 4th magnitude star, Merope, embedded within it. It consists mostly of hydrogen gas and carbon dust particles. It is only one section of the much larger nebula encasing the entire Pleiades star cluster. Once thought to be the birth cloud of the stars within the cluster, studies of the velocities of the stars compared to the nebula reveal that we are seeing a lucky coincidence of the star cluster simply passing through the cloud at the present time. 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: LRGB

Constellation: Taurus

Date: October 26, 2024

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 20x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 20x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 40x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop