The Hyades and NGC1647

The Hyades and NGC1647 - two open star clusters in the constellation Taurus - Canon 600D DSLR camera with EOS 18-55mm lens mounted on a Star Adventurer Equatorial Mount

Lowestoft has been experiencing some cloud and moonlight free nights. Because of ongoing construction works the 127mm refractor has been out of action, so what astrophotography has been undertaken has been accomplished using widefield equipment.  As spring heralds lighter evenings Taurus is setting in the west as astronomical darkness falls.

"NGC1647 is an open star cluster of some 90 stars. The cluster was discovered by William Herschel in 1784.  NGC1647 is located to the top left of the above image which was taken from the Jodrell Plank Observatory. On average the stars that make up NGC1647 are 1800 light years distant from our Solar System and 150 million years old. By contrast the Hyades open cluster is closer to us than NGC1647 and made up of much older stars estimated as 625 million years. Consequently, the stars of the Hyades are less densely packed with those on the periphery, in the cluster's halo, probably in the process of escaping the cluster's gravitational influence.  The bright orange star Alpha Tauri or Aldeberan is not part of either star cluster residing much closer to Earth at an estimated 65 light years from the Sun". Kurt Thrust - Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Credit: Wikipedia