APOD: 2023 January 5 - Messier 45: The Daughters of Atlas and Pleione

Our third and final APOD for today is "Messier 45: The Daughters of Atlas and Pleione." The first observations of Messier 45 (M45), aka The Pleiades/Seven Sisters, were published by Galileo in 1610. Messier included The Pleiades in the 1771 of his catalog.

M45 is located an average distance of 445 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.6 and can be seen with the naked eye. The cluster is best observed now (in January), but this composite image was captured in 2022. Here are the gear notes from the photographer:

Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-85ED
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filters: Baader Blue (B-CCD), Green (G-CCD), Red (R-CCD), and UV/IR Cut / Luminance Accessories: Takahashi Flattener for FSQ-85EDX (TKA37582)
Software: Adobe Photoshop · Main Sequence Software Sequence Generator Pro (SGP)
Guiding Telescopes Or Lenses: Primaluce Lab 60mm Compact Guide scope
Guiding Cameras: ZWO ASI120MM Mini