Melotte 15

Constellation: Cassiopeia

Melotte 15 (a.k.a Collinder 26) is an open cluster in the Heart nebula (IC 1805 or Sh2-190). Its distance from Earth is about 7500 Ly and is located in the Perseus arm of our galaxy. This radations emanating from this small group of stars drives the intense colours of the larger Heart nebula. Link to interactive sky chart.

Telescope & Mount:

Orion Optics AG 14″ Newtonian on a 10Micron GM2000 mount

Imaging:

Camera: FLI KL4040

Data:

Ha: 60x300s
O-III: 49x300s
S-II: 59x300s

Total integration time: 14h