Messier 35 (NGC 2168) - wonderfuluniverse.de open cluster Messier 35

Messier 35 (NGC 2168) from my own backyard

The open cluster M35 (NGC 2168) lies in the constellation Gemini.

Over the years, I have imaged this object on three separate occasions from my backyard observatory, most recently in 2015, marking the first time I captured it using a CCD camera.

The data calibration, registration, and final image processing were all performed in PixInsight.

M35 forms a striking contrast with the nearby open cluster NGC 2158, which is also visible in the same field of view. While M35 appears as a large, loosely concentrated cluster of relatively young, blue-white stars, NGC 2158 lies much farther away and presents as a compact, faint grouping of older, yellowish stars — a beautiful juxtaposition that highlights the diversity of stellar populations within our galaxy.

The images were taken with the following equipment:

Date: 2015
Location: Krefeld, Germany
Telescope: 10″ Newton ohne Namen
Focal length [mm]: 1000
Focal ratio: 3.9
Mount: Losmandy G11
Camera: Moravian 8300FW
Filter: R:G:B
Exposure time [min]: 75:60:60
Resolution: 1.11″/px

Back in 2007, I captured images of M35 using a DSLR from my backyard observatory. The data calibration and registration were performed in DeepSkyStacker, including dark, flat, and bias frame correction, while the final image processing was carried out in PixInsight.

All the images were taken with the following equipment:

Date: 2007
Location: Krefeld, Germany
Telescope: Pentax 75
Focal length [mm]: 500
Focal ratio: 6.7
Mount: Vixen GP-DX
Camera: Canon 300Da
Filter: OSC
Exposure time [min]: 8
Resolution: 5.21″/px

My first succesful images of this object I took in 2005 from my own backyard. The data calibration and registration was done with DeepSkyStacker and the final processing was done with PixInsight. The result was as follows: