M7 (NGC 6475 or Ptolemy’s Cluster) is an open cluster consisting of around 80 stars approximately 980 light-years away in Scorpius. It is the lowest messier object at declination -34.8 degrees and was around 12 degrees above the horizon when I imaged it.
NGC 6453, a type IV globular cluster, can be seen around 2 o’clock.
Open cluster NGC 6444 can be seen around 3 o’clock on the edge of the frame.
Luminance – 12x600s – 120 minutes – binned 1x1
RGB – 8x300s – 40 minutes each – binned 2x2
240 minutes total exposure – 4 hours
Imaged on April 8th and 12, and May 5th, 2016 at the Danville Conservation Area (New Florence, Missouri) with a SBIG ST-8300M on an Astro-Tech AT90EDT at f/6.7 603mm.
LRGB - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcrowson/26268207643/sizes/l
So how many stars can you count in the background?