SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Mark Germani
Location of Photo:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date/Time of photo:
4 Dec 2024, 10 Dec 2024
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT92 telescope, ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera, Optolong L-Pro filter, iOptron CEM26 mount
Description:
Relatively young (150 million years old) and relatively close (2,800 light years away), M35 is thought to contain about 500 stars. Younger open clusters such as M35 often contain brilliant blue stars, and M35 does not disappoint. NGC 2158 is four times more distant and while it occupies roughly the same area in space, it contains about 800 stars - significantly more than M35. The brilliant blue stars have long since been extinguished, as the cluster is estimated to be around 2 billion years old.
