M 47 OPEN CLUSTER in Puppis

Center view

 (ra 07:36.6/ dec -14:30)

March 2013, Collaboration with Ezequiel Bellocchio AstroPilar (RGB) - Home Backyard in Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Open Cluster

Apparent Magnitude: 4.4

Apparent Diameter: 30 arc minutes

DISTANCE: 1600 lights years

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: Carbon Fiber Ritchey Chrétien 8" f8 

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

FILTERS: Baader LRGB, IDAS LPS for Luminance

SKY CONDITIONS: urban skies

EXPOSURES: L (40) - Sergio Eguivar LRGB (30,18,18,18) - Ezequiel Bellocchio

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

Open cluster M47 is a coarse cluster of bright stars, and contains about 50 stars in a region 12 light years in diameter; in the central portion, the stellar density is about 16 stars per cubic parsec while the average density of the whole cluster is only 0.62 stars per cubic parsec, according to Wallenquist (as quoted by Kenneth Glyn Jones). Its distance is about 1,600 light years (values scatter from 1,560 to 1,750 light years), so that the stars of M47 appear scattered over an area in the sky of the same size as the full moon, 30 arc minutes.

While testing the RC 8" and of axis guiding I was able to acquire 4 light frames of 10 minutes each which gave me a nice luminance to combine Ezequiel's LRGB image. The frame was cropped to match the stars of the LRGB image taken in Pilar 50 away from Buenos Aires.