A luminous cluster where the cold blue reflection nebula gives the whole field a glassy, windswept feeling.
- What am I looking at?
- The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) is an open star cluster whose hot blue stars illuminate surrounding dust, creating faint blue reflection nebulosity.
- How far away is it?
- About 444 light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Taurus, visible as a compact group of stars even to the naked eye.
- Why does it matter?
- One of the nearest and most recognizable star clusters, often a first target for beginners.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Autumn and winter evenings when Taurus rises in the east.
Capture summary
Cluster in Taurus
Natural color
Broadband RGB
Winter target / wide composition
- Optolong L-Pro 2 1h 50m 22 x 300s
Same target, different years.
Older revisions stay in the archive so you can see how the target changed with different equipment, processing, and experience.
When to image this target
Cluster in Taurus; best planned for December through February from New Jersey.
Winter targets reward clear, steady nights and usually climb well by late evening.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Stable seeing helps star color, roundness, and tight cluster detail.
M45 is listed here in Taurus.
Current frame: Natural color / Broadband RGB.
Live altitude, moon, and filter guidance
Calculating target altitude and moon context.
Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.
Based on the current time.
Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.
Next upper transit.
Approximate horizon crossing.
Moon phase and altitude.
Acquisition & processing notes
Filter channels, integration times, and capture dates for this frame. View on AstroBin.
- Optolong L-Pro 2 22 x 300s, 1h 50m
How I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-Pro 2 | 22 x 300s | 1h 50m |
- Equipment used
- From my current rig
- Mount
- iOptron CEM60
- Telescope
- Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Carbon Fiber Triplet APO
- Camera
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Filters
- Chroma 36mm Ha, OIII, SII, and LRGB (ZWO EFW 7×36mm)
- Focuser / rotator
- MoonLite NiteCrawler
- Reducer
- Starizona Apex ED 0.65×
- Guiding
- ZWO off-axis guider + ASI290MM Mini
- Control / power
- PrimaLuceLab Eagle 4S, Powerwerx PSU, Bioenno field battery, and MEGAbox
