M44 (NGC 2632): The Beehive Cluster or Praesepe
RA:08 40 00, Dec:+19 59 00, mag: 3.1, Size:1.2 deg, Dist: 610 l.y.

(Click here to see high resolution version ~3.4MB)
Object:	This open cluster in the constellation of Cancer, has been known since classical times. Its old name, Praesepe, is Latin for crib. It is estimated the cluster has about 1000 members and is about 100 ly across though only about the central 10 ly is easily seen. It is a difficult naked-eye target from light-polluted skies.
Exposure:	L: 5x120s, R: 5x120s, G: 5x120s, B: 5x120s
Equipment:	Pentax 75 SDHF f/6.6 refractor. Art11002 CCD. Astronomic LRGB TypeIIc filters.
Location:	12th Nov 2007 01:30 UT, Oxford UK.
Processing:	Images sigma-masked stacked in MaximDL.

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