M34 Open Star Cluster
| Description |
Messier 34 (also known as M34, NGC 1039, or the Perseus Spiral Cluster) is a large and relatively nearby open cluster in the constellation Perseus. It was probably discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654 and included in Charles Messier’s catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. Messier described it as, “A cluster of small stars a little below the parallel of γ (Andromedae). In an ordinary telescope of 3 feet one can distinguish the stars.” Based on the distance modulus of 8.38, it is about 470 parsecs (1,500 ly) away. For stars ranging from 0.12 to 1 solar mass (M☉), the cluster has about 400.[5] It spans about 35′ on the sky, which translates to a true radius of 7.5 light-years at such a distance. The cluster is just visible to the naked eye in very dark conditions, well away from city lights. It is possible to see it in binoculars when light pollution is low. The age of this cluster lies between the ages of the Pleiades open cluster at 100 million years and the Hyades open cluster at 800 million years. Specifically, comparison between noted stellar spectra and the values predicted by stellar evolutionary models suggests 200–250 million years. This is roughly the age at which stars with half a solar mass enter the main sequence. By comparison, stars like the Sun enter the main sequence after 30 million years. The average proportion of elements with higher atomic numbers than helium is termed the metallicity by astronomers. This is expressed by the logarithm of the ratio of iron to hydrogen, compared to the same proportion in the Sun. For M34, the metallicity has a value of [Fe/H] = +0.07 ± 0.04. This is equivalent to a 17% higher proportion of iron compared to the Sun. Other elements show a similar abundance, save for nickel, which is underabundant. At least 19 members are white dwarfs. These are stellar remnants of progenitor stars of up to eight solar masses (M☉) that have evolved through the main sequence and no longer have thermonuclear fusion to generate energy. Seventeen of these are of spectral type DA or DAZ, while one is a type DB, and the last is a type DC. |
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| Data/Processing Attribution | This is my data and processing. |
| Distances/Size | Distance to the object: 1,500 light-years; angular size in the sky is about 35’ (minutes); size of the cluster is about 7 light-years in diameter |
| Equipment | Mount-PlaneWave L-350; Scope-PlaneWave CDK14″, 356 mm aperture, 2563 mm focal length; Camera-Moravian C3-61000, 0.30 arcsec/pixel. |
| Observatory | The image was captured at the Prairie Skies Astro remote observatory. |
| Exposure and processing |
RGB filters, total exposure- 3 hours 3 min G: 90X36= 0 hours 54 min R: 90X50= 1 hour 15 min B: 90X36= 0 hours 54 min Total: 3 hours 3 min Sequence management was performed using Voyager Astro software with the Voyager Advanced RoboTarget scheduler. Processing is done in PixInsight, Photoshop, and LightRoom Classic |