M79, Globular Star Cluster in Lepus

    M79 (NGC 1904), Magnitude 7.7 Shapley - Sawyer Class V Globular Cluster, Size 9.6'x9.6', Constellation: Lepus.

Image Details:

• Scope: Celestron Ultima 8 OTA.
• Mount: Celestron AS-GT.
• Camera: Adirondack Video Astronomy Stellacam II.
• Configuration: f/3.3 focal reducer, visual back .
• Effective Focal Length: 609mm, f/3.
• Guiding: None.
• Location: Pine Lake Observatory   
• Date: 25 February 2006.
• Post Processing: Registax 3, Adobe Photoshop.
• Procedures: Video recorded to DVD, converted to .avi (with FlaskMPEG), stacked with Registax 3, and processed with Photoshop.

What don't you get with the coming of the otherwise glorious winter sky? Globular clusters. The only prominent one is M15, sinking in the west with Pegasus. Oh, well, there's one other. M79, situated in Lepus at the feet of Orion, ain't exactly "prominent," but it is there. That said, you'll need at least a 12-inch scope for good resolution if your skies ain't what they oughta be.

At 40,000 light years, this "little" cluster is about 118 light years across.

I was lucky to get this one. By the time I remembered "M79," it was already into the trees that line the western horizon at Pine Lake...

Return to Uncle Rod's DSI/CCD Page