M46 in Puppis

Images taken: April 6, 2008, by Stacey Holmes and Katie Watson.

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/5.7 focal reducer (f=68in).

Camera: SBIG ST-10 CCD

Exposures: 3 x 1 min red, green, blue; and 15 min H-alpha, 15-min [OIII], 30 min {SII] (~1 hour total).

Image processing: CCDoops, CCDsoft + Photoshop CS.

Images taken: Feb. 19 and 21, 2007, by Ruth Ann Cooper, Richard Whitehouse, Jennifer Adams, Mary Rebentisch.

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/5.7 focal reducer (f=68in).

Camera: SBIG ST-10 CCD

Exposures: 6 x 1 min red, 5 x 1 min green, 6 x 1.5 min blue (20 min total).

Image processing: CCDoops, CCDsoft + Photoshop CS.

The open cluster M46 lies 5,400 light years from us, a collection of 500 young stars. In front of it, only 3,000 light years from us, is a planetary nebula - an old star blowing off its atmosphere into space before becoming a white dwarf.