by Craig and Tammy Temple
Discovered in 1745 by Jean-Phillipe de Cheseaux, M16 is a young, open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens Cauda. At Just over 6500ly away, this region contains the famous "Pillars of Creation" which are the site of active star formation. The cluster itself is bright at magnitude 6.50 which illuminates the surrounding nebulosity. This image was captured on June 21, 2009 in the warm temperature of 85° F. It is a total of 2 hours exposure time.
10" Orion Newtonian f/4.7 w/Baader MPCC
Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD, Guided
Canon 350D (self-modified) w/Astronomik EOS Clip IR filter + 2" Hutech IDAS LPS filter
61 x 120s @ ISO 1600