M36 open cluster in Auriga with nearby nebulosity NGC 1931 and IC 417. Taken Nov 6, 2010 with 105mm A&M apo refractor at f/5 with Borg .85x flattener/reducer and Canon 5DMkII at ISO 800 for stack of 5 x 10 minute exposures, Median combined. Used Celestron CGEM mount and Sky-Watcher SynGuider on William Optics 66mm guidescope. All seemed to work well.
A collection of bright star clusters and colourful nebulas in central Auriga. Messier 36, aka the Pinwheel Cluster, is at far left. Messier 38, aka the Starfish Cluster, is at top left, with the small cluster NGC 1907 below it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula surrounding and extending from the star AE Aurigae. The part of the nebula around the star is blue reflection nebulosity. The large nebula at bottom is IC 410 surrounding a loose star cluster NGC 1893. The small nebula left of centre is IC 417. The smaller nebula between IC 417 and Messier 36 is NGC 1931. The colourful group of stars between IC 405 and 410 at right is the Little Fish asterism. This is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and with the Canon EOS Ra red-sensitive mirrorless camera, at ISO 800. Stacked, aligned and processed in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop 2020. No nebula or light pollution reduction filter was employed in taking the images. I shot this from home November 25, 2019 on a very fine if frosty autumn night. The Dew Destroyer heater coil from David Lane wrapped around the front objective nicely kept off the frost. As the temperature was -10° C, I did not employ Long Exposure Noise Reduction or take and apply dark frames.
The complex area of clusters and nebulosity in central Auriga, including: M38 the Starfish Cluster and its smaller companion cluster NGC 1907; the emission/reflection nebulas NGC 1931, IC 417, IC 410 and IC 405 (from right to left here). Magenta and cyan (from emission and reflection components) IC 405 at right is the Flaming Star Nebula. Between IC 405 and IC 410 is the asterism known as The Little Fish. This is a stack of 8 x 7 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the modified Canon 6D on the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.8 with the Borg 0.85x compressor flattener. The night was a little hazy. The field is turned slightly from being oriented with North up as is usual for me, to frame the area better. North is toward about 10 o'clock on this frame.
