Great Orion Molecular Cloud - Messier 42

Messier 42-The Great Orion Molecular Cloud - Combination of two images taken with the PIRATE and COAST Robotic Telescopes using BVR filters- Credit: telescope.org - Open University. and Pip Stakkert.

" The above image is the result of combining two images taken with the robotic telescopes on Mount Teide, Tenerife, back in January 2018. Pip Stakkert has taken great care to not bleach out the young hot Trapezium stars at the heart of the nebula. Messier 42 is a stellar nursery and  one of the great northern hemisphere show pieces of the night sky." - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

                               

Messier 41 an open star cluster in the constellation Canis Major - Image taken with the PIRATE Robotic Telescope back in March 2018. Credit: telescope.org - Open University and Pip Stakkert.

"Not far from the constellation Orion lies the constellation Canis Major and the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere sky Alpha Canis Major also known as Sirius. 

Messier 41 lies approximately 4 degrees south of Sirius. The open cluster contains some 100 stars and has a diameter of  25 to 26 light years. The cluster has a number of red giant and white dwarf stars and has an estimated age of 190 million years.  M41 or NGC2287 is 2300 light years distant and is moving away from us at 23.3 km/sec." - Archie Mendes - visiting theoretical astronomer at the Jodrell Plank Observatory - Reydon University - 'School of Computer Modelling and Difficult Sums' 

" The staff of the Jodrell Plank Observatory wish to acknowledge the work and passing of the Opportunity Mars Rover. The little rover exceeded its life expectancy and worked in the inhospitable conditions of the martian surface from January 2004 until June 10 2018. Well done Opportunity, NASA and all involved" - Community outreach coordinator – Karl Seguine

Credit: Wikipedia