Pleiades – A Darker View

Pleiades in Color

OK, I have color. Getting there, but not quite happy with the result. This is my first attempt at LLRGB layering to assemble the color and luminance data.

Too much noise and structural information is coming through with the color data. I had to use a lot of noise reduction in final processing.

Some odd rectangular structure around bright stars that might be coming from the microlenses of the CMOS sensor. This shows in the color data, but not so much the luminance.

Still have some learning to do…

The Pleiades, color image through LRGB filters

A Pretty Scene in Taurus

This evening, April 8th will offer a beautiful view with Mars and slim crescent Moon located between the Pleiades and the larger Hyades star clusters.

The Moon will be a slim crescent, only 14% illuminated. Mars will be 5° north (to the right) of the Moon, shining at +1.5 magnitude. Above and below will be the bright star clusters.

Mars and the Pleiades

Over the next week Mars will pass by the Pleiades star cluster. The bright planet and the cluster should make a pretty arrangement in the evening sky.

Tonight the planet is 4° from the cluster. By Saturday, March 30th, the planet will be just over three degrees away. Through the next week the planet and cluster will slowly drift apart again.

The evening of April 8th will offer a beautiful view with Mars and slim crescent Moon located between the Pleiades and the larger Hyades star clusters.

Comet C/2014Q2 Lovejoy and the Pleiades

Sunday night I shot a wide-field image of the comet as it passed near the Pleiades star cluster. I am somewhat disappointed by the image. The skies over Waikoloa are just not conducive to wide-field imaging. And with a couple scheduled mountain days I did not have the option to take the gear up to where conditions are better. Not and get any sleep. Still, it is not a total disaster…

C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy & M45 — Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy passing by the Pleiades star cluster

Postcard from the Universe – Pleiades

The Pleiades were not my primary target for the night, but that was setting and I was in no hurry to shut the gear down when there was a lot of dark remaining in the night. I glanced around the sky looking for a target appropriate for the field of view of the gear and just chanced to look at the star cluster.

Perfect…

Venus and the Pleiades

Over the next few days, the planet Venus will transit the Pleiades star cluster. Tonight sees the planet about two degrees from the cluster center, tomorrow the planet will have closed to just over a degree from Merope. April 2nd and 3rd will see the planet essentially among the primary stars of the cluster. On the 2nd the planet will be only 25′ from Merope, on the 3rd it will be 14′ from Atlas.

At -4.4 magnitude the planet will be far brighter than the brightest stars of the cluster which are 3rd and 4th magnitude. Still, it should be an interesting sight to see the brilliant Venus surrounded by a cluster of stars.

The Moon and Pleiades

This evening a pretty crescent Moon will be just over 4° from the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be just 19% illuminated, a pretty companion for the bright star cluster. The pair will set after 10pm allowing plenty of time to appreciate.

The Moon and Pleiades

Tonight a bright half Moon will be just under 4° from the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be 43% illuminated, bright, but the cluster is bright enough to be seen even against a bright Moon. As the Pleiades move to the west over coming months there will be a few more lunar conjunctions, with increasingly smaller crescents.

The Moon and Pleiades

Tonight a bright gibbous Moon will be just under 5° from the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be 62% illuminated, bright, but the cluster is bright enough to be seen even against a bright Moon. As the Pleiades move to the west over coming months there will be a few more lunar conjunctions, with increasingly smaller crescents.

The Moon and Pleiades

Tonight a bright gibbous Moon will be just under 3° from the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be 84% illuminated, bright, but the cluster is bright enough to be seen even against a bright Moon. As the Pleiades move to the west over coming months there will be a few more lunar conjunctions, with increasingly smaller crescents.