SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Jon Greif
Location of Photo:
Alpine, CA, USA
Date/Time of photo:
December 6-7, 2023, 7 pm to 5 am PST
Equipment:
Takahashi FSQ-85 refractor, ZWO ASI 533MC Pro capture camera, Optolong L-Pro filter, ZWO EAF focuser, ZWO 30 mm guide scope and ZWO ASI294MM Mini guide camera, Rainbow Astro RST-300 mount, ASIAIR Plus controller, Pixinsight processing software.
Description:
The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45, is an open star cluster in the constellation Taurus. At a distance of about 444 light years, it is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and was clearly visible to the naked eye in last night's sky in Alpine. The bright blue Reflection Nebulae around the brightest stars were once thought to be left over material from their formation, but are now considered likely to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium through which the stars are currently passing. The image is an integration of 91 five-minute exposures shot from dusk to dawn last night.
