About this Object:
Messier 23 (also known as NGC 6494) is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 20, 1764. M23 is at a distance of about 2,150 light-years away from Earth, its radius is around 15-20 light years. There are some 150 identified members in this cluster, the brightest being of magnitude 9.2. M23 can be found with a modestly sized telescope in the rich starfields of the Sagittarius Milky Way.

About this Photo:
Location: From my driveway in Georgetown, Texas
Telescope: Celestron C9.25 @ F10
Mount: HEQ-5
Guiding: Orion StarShoot AutoGuider / Taurus Tracker III
Camera: Canon 40D Modified
Exposure: 9 x 180 sec @ ISO 1600 (27 min.)
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 3.75 Camera Control
Processing: ImagesPlus 3.75 – Darks,Flats,Bias
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop CS3; Gradient Exterminator; Noise Ninja; Noel Carboni's Tools; Star Spikes Pro
Date(s): September 5, 2010
Temperature(s): 90-87º F