Hi all, I have just uploaded another mosaic I took some months ago of a gorgeous couple couple of cluster in Puppis not so much imaged by amateur astronomers:
NGC 2477 (at left in the image) is a glorious open cluster grouping over 300 members in an area almost as extensive as the full Moon. It has been called "one of the top open clusters in the sky", like a highly resolved globular cluster without the dense center characteristic of globular clusters. Although it is smaller than M46 (also an open cluster in Puppis), it is richer and more compact. It was discovered by Abbé Lacaille in 1751.
NGC 2451 (at right in the image) is far closer and sparser compared to his compact neighbor and has around 40 stars well dispersed with its brightest star being c puppis, a yellowish giant of magnitude 3,6. The cluster was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna in 1654. Only in recent years it was confirmed that NGC 2451 was actually two open clusters that lie along the same line of sight, labeled NGC 2451A and NGC 2451B, located at distances of 600 and 1,200 light-years respectively.
The sky background is filled with faint Hydrogen emission of the GUM Nebula, giving the whole area a nice color contrast.
This is a mosaic of 2 panels, each one HaLRGB collecting about 12.5 hours of light for a total of 25 hours of light
I hope you will like this one as well and perhaps you will get an inspiration for a nice target to image next season
Like this one Marco. Not only are the star colours nice and the field of view huge there are also at least 6 galaxies visible in the background. The Ha really adds depth to the field in my opinion. Nice image Marco.
Thans Justin, in fact thanks to the Ha region, the dusty field (in particular on the left) and the striking blue/yellow stars this area palette is very rich
Quote:
Originally Posted by rustigsmed
yep awesome duo for sure, make it a trio with the Gum shining through here!
Thanks for sharing!
Russ
Thanks to you for the appreciation Russ!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Octane
NGC 2451 was one of the first images I ever made with a 5" Borg refractor.
Beautiful work, man.
H
Thanks H
Quote:
Originally Posted by dp297
Thats fantastic field and colors!
Thanks Dimitris, in fact I believe this one turned out to be one of the pictures I took I like most, vibrant and particular
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Haese
Like this one Marco. Not only are the star colours nice and the field of view huge there are also at least 6 galaxies visible in the background. The Ha really adds depth to the field in my opinion. Nice image Marco.
Thanks Paul, I agree, the Ha is what add something special to the image. There are some other fine examples in the web of H+RGB on this area and this is what convinced me to give it a try. Without the contribution of the narrowband the whole area would be quite dull IMHO..
Really nice work there Marco. The two panels combined produce a memorable scene. Puppis an full of faint Ha and rarely imaged targets. I've had some fun there in the past, your image makes me want to go back for a visit again, perhaps next season. Thanks for sharing, and I'm appreciating your mosaic treats lately. I will always have more of them, thanks.
That is a wonderful image Marco, really sweeping and colourful. NGC 2477 does look a lot like a small diffuse globular, very interesting. And the pairing with the much nearer open cluster is stunning. Top shot
One thing I admire about your image processing is the manner in which you get the (red) Ha layer to blend so naturally while still looking like a distinct layer within the scene ...I think when King Arthur passes away you will wear the crown (and I may have made 2nd year with the farriers by then )
) 
