Astronomy Log

So my first night out with my new Canon 75-300mm USM lens. The Pleiades seemed to be the best test for this new lens on my tripod. So here are some images:

This first image was 5.6f, ISO800, 300mm focal length and a 2 second exposure.

The second pleiades star trail image was 5.6f, ISO800, 300mm focal length and a 30 second exposure.

The individual members of this cluster range from Alcyone at magnitude 2.9 down to very faint stars, probably 500 or more in all. Much of the cluster is enveloped in a blue reflection nebula, known as the Merope Nebula.

A popular name for the cluster is the Seven Sisters, Nine of the stars have names.

The Pleiades were the seven mythological daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and their parents are represented by the two easternmost bright stars.

Related posts:

1. Moon and Pleiades Conjunction March 2008
2. Great Orion Nebula M42
3. Orion Nebula and Pleiades Images
4. Prime Focus Photography on LX200
5. Cambridge Star Atlas

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Star Clusters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.