M44 - The Beehive Cluster

19:20 31/3/2005 UTC

This widefield image features two open clusters M44, the Beehive Cluster and M67 (smaller one on the left). This is the first real (read: planned) widefield image I took with EOS 350D. This is also the first image I took using autoguiding. Images were lightly calibrated, dark frame subtracted, no flat field nor bias was taken. All processing was done from RAW frames (Thanks for Christian Buil for EOS 350D support!). This is starting to get serious fun!

m44-2005.03.31-19h20m.jpg

Camera: Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT) | Telescope: Canon EF-S 18-55mm zoom objective | Mount: Orion Skyview Pro, Boxdoerfer PowerFlex MTS-3SLP drive controller | Guiding: , Orion ShortTube 80mm f5 refractor, Phillips ToUCam Pro II webcam, Qastrocam | Exposure: 4 x 300s (20m) f6.3 @55mm ISO400, 1 dark, no flats | Software: IRIS, GIMP | Location: 60°31'N 26°52'E (Koivula/Kotka,FI)