Messier 46

Constellation: Puppis

Messier 46 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It is located about 5’000 Ly from Earth. The planetary nebula NGC 2438 appears to be part of Messier 46, but it is most likely unrelated since it does not share the cluster’s radial velocity. Link to interactive sky chart.

Dates:

This is derived from the outstanding data taken by Martin Pugh during April 2024 (Martin’s website: Remote Astrophotography with Martin Pugh (martinpughastrophotography.space).

His telescope is located in Chile (Observatory: El Sauce).

Telescope & Mount:

Planewave CDK24 (F6.5) on a Planewave L600 mount.

Imaging:

Camera: Moravian G3-61000 (bin 2×2)

Data:

Astrodon R: 26x180s
Astrodon G: 33x180s
Astrodon B: 39x180s

Total integration time: 4h 54′