M45, The Pleiades.

[gbeal]

Very nice shot Andrew, it is that time of the year again?? Already?

[Geoff45 (Geoff)]

Am I the only one who thinks that diffraction spikes spoil an otherwise great picture? I thought one of the points of having a refractor was to get rid of them.
Geoff

[tornado33]

Excellent work, the striations in the nebula are striking.
Well done

[Blue Fire]

Gorgeous pic, nice work! The Pleiades has always been one of my favorites - something mystical about it as I gaze at it naked eye, I never tire of pointing it out to my non-astronomical friends just to see if I can get their interest up.

But I've had a question for a long time: Exactly which 7 stars in M45 are the classical 7 sisters? Can anyone specify them for me?

[astroboy]

Nice shot Andrew
I think the spikes suit this sort of object , looking forward to giving M45 a try myself with the 5" Borg be good to see how it compares to the TOA.

Zane

[Rodstar (Rod)]

Lovely work Andrew. I would have angled the diffration spikes so that they run up-down, left-right, but of course this is a personal taste issue. Overall, one of those images that warms the cockles of your astro-heart.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by ghsmith45

Am I the only one who thinks that diffraction spikes spoil an otherwise great picture? I thought one of the points of having a refractor was to get rid of them.
Geoff

I think you have a point Geoff but this is a very nice image non the less. Juuust a little more exposure wouldn't hurt though :-) (wouldn't it always??)

Great work Andrew

Mike

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Blue Fire

But I've had a question for a long time: Exactly which 7 stars in M45 are the classical 7 sisters? Can anyone specify them for me?

G'day Blue Fire,

I found this image which names them.
Thank you for your comments, I agree there's something about The Pleiades which is special.

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Rodstar

Lovely work Andrew. I would have angled the diffration spikes so that they run up-down, left-right, but of course this is a personal taste issue. Overall, one of those images that warms the cockles of your astro-heart.

You might be right Rod, since this was the only time I've tried this method, I wasn't thinking of the orientation but rather rushing to get as much exposure as possible before sunrise.

I'd like to add that I am not a huge fan of defraction spikes for refractors.
It's fine if you're imaging through a Newtonian but I was taking into consideration the subject matter I was imaging.

To me The Pleiades is something special and they look like diamonds in space.
I wouldn't use this method for all objects but I thought it fitting in this instance.

Thank you all for your comments, they're much appriciated.

[Blue Fire]

Originally Posted by Rocket Boy

G'day Blue Fire,

I found this image which names them.
Thank you for your comments, I agree there's something about The Pleiades which is special.

Many thanks! After looking at your image/map, I've realized that the two stars on the right are the mythological parents of the other seven. Interesting that the cluster is named for the 7 sisters and yet at least 2 of the stars least visible even with binocs are 2 of the sisters while Atlas, one of the parents is more prominent in the cluster. So, with naked eye viewing (for those folks with exceptional eyesight) at least one of the stars you notice is not really a sister at all but one of the parents. Hmmm... now I have a little more trivia ammo, so to speak, to hit my friends with. Thanks again!