Messier 48 is a star open cluster in the constellation of Hydra. It spans over almost one degree in the sky and contains about 80 stars placed about 1500 light years away from us. Cluster has been discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771, but due to error in data reduction the object was missing from Messier catalogue until Oswald Thomas identified is in 1934, and independently T.F. Morris in 1959. John Herschel described M48 open cluster as:
“A superb cluster which fills the whole field; stars of 9th and 10th to the 13th magnitude – and none below, but the whole ground of the sky on which it stands is singularly dotted over with infinitely minute points [stars]. Place that of a bright star, the southern of two which point into the concavity of an arc.”
Shot under suburban sky and in the moonlight with TS130/910 0.79x and Atik383 camera. Baader RGB filters, 3x12x3 minutes exposures.
Clear skies!
