Messier 37 (NGC 2099) from my own backyard and observatory

The open cluster M37 (NGC 2099) lies in the constellation Auriga and is the richest and brightest of the three Messier open clusters in this region of the sky. It forms a dense, glittering field of stars, featuring a mix of young, blue-white members and older, reddish stars, offering excellent color contrast.

I have imaged this object twice — first from my backyard and later, in 2022, from my observatory, with improved equipment.

The 2022 data calibration, registration, and final image processing were all performed in PixInsight.

The images were taken with the following equipment:

• Date: 2022
• Location: Krefeld, Germany
• Telescope: TS IS 65 Apo
• Focal length [mm]: 420
• Focal ratio: 6.5
• Mount: Vixen Skywatcher EQ8
• Camera: Moravian 16000FW
• Filter: R:G:B
• Exposure time [min]: 50:50:45
• Resolution: 2.92″/px

My first successful images of this object were captured in 2007 from my backyard. The data calibration and registration were performed in DeepSkyStacker, while the final image processing was completed in PixInsight.

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]: 6
• Resolution: 3.04″/px