About this Object:Messier 37 is the brightest of the three open clusters in Auriga. M37 is roughly 300 million years old and contains over 500 stars with roughly 150 stars brighter than
magnitude 12.5. M37 also contains at least a dozen
red giants with the hottest
main sequence star of
spectral type B9V. Its distance is between 3,600 to 4,700
light years.
About this Photo:Date(s): February 5, 2011
Location: From my driveway in Georgetown, Texas
Telescope: Celestron C9.25 @ F6.5
Mount: HEQ-5
Guiding: Orion StarShoot AutoGuider / Taurus Tracker III
Camera: Canon 40D Modified
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Exposure: 7 x 120 sec @ ISO1600 (12 Minutes total)
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 3.75 Camera Control
Processing: ImagesPlus 3.75 – Darks,Flats,Bias
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop CS3; Gradient Exterminator; Noel Carboni's Tools;
Temperature(s): 40º F