M-34 (NGC-1039) is a bright open star cluster located in Perseus, approximately 5 degrees WNW of Alpha Perseii (Algol), the famous variable star. Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 and assigned number 34 in his famous catalog. It lies 1500 light years from Earth and is 15 light years in diameter. It is estimated to be approximately 250 million year old.
This image, acquired on October 5, 2019, is a 30 minute integration of 6 minute exposures through the Celestron C-11 at f/2, using the HyperStar III imaging system and the Starlight Express SXVR-H694C color CCD camera, operating at -10 degrees below ambient temperature and binned 1 X 1. Guided, captured and combined using Maxim DL5 Pro. Post processed using PhotoShop CS2, Gradient XTerminator, StarShrink, Carboni's Astro Tools and NoiseWare.