A framing of most of the northern spring constellation of Cancer the Crab. Cancer is marked by the large binocular star cluster, Messier 44, the Beehive, at centre here. At bottom is the small star cluster M67, just resolved here. Pollux is at upper right, in Gemini. The brightest star at top centre is the double star Iota Cancri. Immediately to the left is a double star, resolved here, with the top star in the pair being 55 Cancri, home to a notable extra-solar planetary system. This is a stack of 14 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 61mm and f/2.8 and on the filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800, on the Star Adventurer tracker. An additional single 2-minute exposure through a Kase/Alyn Wallace StarGlow filter and layered and blended in Photoshop added the photogenic star glows, to accentutate the star colours. Taken from home March 17, 2023.
The constellation of Cancer with the star cluster M44 at centre. Taken from New Mexico, March 2013, with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/4 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 for a stack of 5 x 7 minute exposures + 2 exposures taken through the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Pollux is at upper right, Procyon at lower right, and Regulus at lower left. The slight diagonal brightening across the frame is the Zodiacal Band.
The majority of the northern spring constellation of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, below the handle of the Big Dipper. The southernmost area of CVn is missing here to frame the handle of the Dipper at top for context. At centre is the very red carbon star, Y CVn, aka La Superba. The bright star at bottom is Alpha Canum Venaticorum, or Cor Caroli, a bright double star. The galaxies M51 and M106 in CVn and M101 in UMa are just barely visible. This is a stack of 7 x 2-minute exposures with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 800, on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. An exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter layered in adds the star glows.
