M34 on 2024-12-20,21
M34, also know as NGC1039, is an open cluster located about 1,500 light years from Earth in the constellation of Perseus. The cluster spans about 35′ on the sky (slighty larger than the full moon) which translates to a true radius of 7.5 light years. At least 19 of the stellar members of the cluster are white dwarfs. Below the center of this star cluster and as you move toward the bottom of the picture, zoom in, and you will see lots of tiny galaxies, millions of light years past the star cluster. Just think, all of those galaxies contain millions and millions of stars. I wonder how many of those stars have planets orbiting around them just like our star (the Sun) has 8 (or 9 planets if you include Pluto) orbiting around it?
This photo was taken in Kyle, Texas through a 6-inch f/4 Telescope, on a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount, with a ZWO ASI533MC PRO color camera plus an Optolong L Pro Light Pollution Filter. The processing was done in PixInsight. The total image acquisition time is: 3 hours 32 minutes 00 Seconds.
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