M 38 is a 220 million-year-old open star cluster in Auriga, also known as the “Starfish Cluster.” In the night sky, the open cluster NGC 1907 (500 million years old) appears to be in close proximity, but in reality, both objects are far apart: M 38 is approximately 3,480 light-years away from Earth, and NGC 1907 is about 5,100 light-years away.
Both star clusters seem to float in a sea of H-alpha clouds. However, these belong to the Taurus molecular cloud, which, at a distance of “only” about 430 light-years, is the nearest star-forming region to Earth.
I wanted to show the clusters in a different context. For this, I fortunately was able to combine 5.5 hours of H-alpha data from this area, which I had captured in January for another project, with the RGB image. I hope you like it!
Skywatcher 200 1000 f/5 @950mm (RGB)
TS-Optics Coma Corrector
Celestron RASA 203 400 f/2 (H-Alpha)
EQ6-R Pro
ZWO ASI 2600 MC Pro (Gain 100, Offset 18, -10°)
RGB (Baader UV/IR Cut Filter): 307 × 30″ (2h 33′ 30″)
TS 2600 MP (Gain 100, Offset 200, -10°):
Ha (Baader H-alpha Highspeed 3.5nm Filter): 169 × 120″ (5h 38′)
Total: 8h 11′ 30″
Bortle 5
Darks, Flats, Darkflats, Dithering
N.I.N.A., Guiding: ZWO ASI 120MM & PHD2
Astropixelprocessor, Photoshop, Pixinsight
Date: January 18 & February 23, 2024