SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Rod Pommier
Location of Photo:
Pommier Observatory, Portland, OR, USA
Date/Time of photo:
2024-07-14
Equipment:
Planewave CDK17 on L500 mount, SBIG STL 11000 CCD camera with Baader Planetarium L, R, G, and B filters.
Description:
M71 is a globular cluster in Sagitta. It a very unusual globular in that it lies very close to the plane of the Milky Way galaxy, as indicated by the innumerable stars in the field. In contrast, most other globulars clusters are found away from the Milky Way because it obscures our view of such distant objects. Because it is found within a densely packed region of the Milky Way, for two centuries M71 was thought to be a tightly packed open star cluster. Recent research shows that its H-R diagram has a short horizontal branch indicative of a very old globular well outside the galaxy. Still, it is one of the closest Messier globular clusters at a distance of only 13,050 light-years. Exoposures: L:R:G:B = 110:55:55:55 minutes = 4 hours, 30 minutes total exposure, completely unguided.
