M44 Beehive Cluster a.k.a. Praesepe
Photo by Chad Andrist
Scope / Lens
Astro-Tech AT92
Camera
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
Exposure
Integration:R 82x180" 4h 6' 7 Mar 59%
G 69x180" 3h 27' 1 Mar 3%
B 74x180" 3h 42' 22 Feb 33%
Total: 11h 15'
Description
The Beehive Cluster is listed in the famous Messier Catalog as Messier 44 (or M44). It's the third-brightest Messier object after the Pleiades and the Andromeda Galaxy and the second-closest deep-sky object in the catalog after the Pleiades.M44 is an open cluster, which means its stars are loosely bound together and were born at about the same time from the same giant molecular cloud. The cluster is quite young in cosmic terms: it’s estimated to be 600-700 million years old, while our own Solar System, for example, formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
ID: 1613