M52: An open cluster in Cassiopeia.

Image taken: Oct. 29, 2008

Students: Nicole Calvert, Anna Peterson.

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/5.6 focal reducer (f=67in).

Camera: SBIG ST-10 CCD

Image scale: 1 as/pixel.

Exposures: 4 x 5 min in each of red, green, and blue, a total of 1 hour.

Image processing: CCDops + Photoshop CS.


M52 is a young star cluster of 200 stars 7 mg or fainter. Its diameter is about 12 light years, and it is 7,000 light years away from us.