Capture summary
Cluster in Taurus
Natural color
Broadband RGB
Winter target / wide composition
Detailed filter totals have not been entered for this image yet.
Same target, different years.
Older revisions stay in the archive so you can see how the target changed with different equipment, processing, and experience.
A luminous cluster where the cold blue reflection nebula gives the whole field a glassy, windswept feeling.
Target Planner
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.
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.
