About this Object:
Messier 38 (also known as M38 or NGC 1912) is an open cluster in the Auriga constellation. M36 and M37 are grouped together with M38 at a distance of about 3,420 light years away from Earth. The cluster's brightest stars form a pattern resembling the Greek letter Pi or, according to Webb, an "oblique cross." At its distance of 4,200 light years, its angular diameter of about 20' corresponds to about 25 light years, similar to that of its more distant neighbor M37. It is of intermediate age (about 220 million years, according to Sky Catalog 2000) and features a yellow giant of apparent magnitude +7.9 and spectral type G0 as its brightest member.

About this Photo:
Location: From my driveway in Georgetown, Texas
Telescope: Orion ED80 @ F7.5
Mount: HEQ-5
Guiding: Orion StarShoot AutoGuider / Taurus Tracker III
Camera: Canon 40D Modified
Exposure: 4x300 sec + 5x60 sec @ ISO1600
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 3.75 Camera Control
Processing: ImagesPlus 3.75 – Darks,Flats,Bias
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop CS3; Noise Ninja; Noel Carboni's Tools;
Date(s): March 10, 2010
Temperature(s): 70-80º F