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Image of the Month
M-36 (NGC-1960) is a bright open star cluster in the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer. It is one of the younger star clusters in the milky way. It lies 4100 light years from Earth and is 14 light years in diameter. Most of the brighter members are B-type blue-white stars. This cluster was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.
This image, acquired on October 30, 2008, is ONE OF MY EARLIEST CCD IMAGES. It is a 15 minute integration of 25 second UNGUIDED exposures through the ORION 80ED APO refractor at f/3.75, using the ORION STARSHOOT color CCD camera with focal reducer. Captured using Maxim DL Essentials. Post processed using PhotoShop CS, Carboni's Astro Tools, and NoiseWare.
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