Glittering Lights

Comet Siding Spring and 47 Tucanae encounter

Imaged here is the close encounter of comet Siding Spring C/2013 A1 with the second largest globular cluster of the sky, 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) that took place the night of August 30th, 2014. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Comet: L (18x2m) RGB (12x2m each) 47TUC: L (120m) RGB (60m each) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

The Butterfly Cluster (M6)

To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6 can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of Scorpius, coving about as much of the sky as the full moon. Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (270m) R (100m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Great Rift around Mu Serpentis

Mu Serpentis (μ Serpentis) is a blue giant star in the head of constellation Serpens (Serpens Caput). Located about 160 light years away, Mu Serpentis shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.54. This area is a dense part of the Great Rift, a series of overlapping, molecular dust clouds that are located between the Solar System and the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (290m) R (80m) G (150m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia