| Name | Scorpion Cluster, Bubble Nebula |
| Designation(s) | M52, NGC 7538, Bubble Nebula, C 11, NGC 7635, Sh2-162, Sh2-158 |
| Object Type(s) | Emission Nebula, Open Cluster |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-10-17 22:15:00 |
| Instrument | Askar V 80mm w reducer f4.8-384mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294MC-Pro |
| Image Details | Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 15m. Exposures 15s@375g, L-eNhance Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. |
| Description | After a gap of 9 months, Messier recorded his discovery of M52 (#23) on September 7, 1774; `Cluster of very small [faint] stars, mingled with nebulosity, which can be seen only with an achromatic telescope. It was when he observed the Comet which appeared in this year that M. Messier saw this cluster, which was close to the comet on the 7th of September 1774; it is below the star d Cassiopeiae: that star was used to determine [the position of] both the cluster of stars & the comet.' <--> I do have a closeup view of M52 which you can find by clicking on the "Related Observation" button, but I much prefer this one which shows it in its fascinating context. The red HII region is an area of star birthing, and M52 was probably a product of this region 35 million years or so ago. So it's nice to see them together, metaphorically mother and teenage offspring. Captured on a night when I was trying to figure out what to capture at an upcoming star party. This is a lovely view, under good conditions, though I was in need of testing some other potential targets for the party and couldn't spend as much time on it as I'd have liked. That said, this configuration of my Askar V at 384mm-f/4.5 is easily 5x as fast as the EdgeHD. Very cool. |
| Related Observations | C11 (2) M52 (2) NGC7538 (2) NGC7635 (2) NGC7654 (2) Sh2-162 (2) |
| Catalog Links | |
