My Astrophotography – Messier 34

Messier 34 (Open Cluster)

• A group of open cluster stars that formed from the same giant cloud of gas. Think of it as a cosmic sibling group, all born at the same time, all travelling through space together.
  o
• Messier 34 looks big in the sky, but in space it’s a medium‑sized star cluster with a few hundred stars spread across about 15 light‑years.
  o
• Visible as a faint hazy patch to the naked eye in very dark conditions.
  o
• Easily resolved into stars with binoculars or small telescopes.
  o
  o

• Object Name
  M34

• Object Type
  Open Cluster

• Constellation
  Perseus

• Magnitude
  +5.2

• Distance
  1,400 light-years

• Age
  190 million years old

Telescope:

Mount:

Accessories:

Sky-Watcher Esprint 80ED Triplet

Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASIair Plus / PixInsight

Camera:

Guiding:

Filter:

ZWO ASI585MC Pro cooling

ZWO ASI1200MM

2″ Optolong eNchance

• Date:
  Wednesday 24th September 2026
  o
• Time:
  22:45 / 11.45 pm (BST)
  

• Moonlit:
  Waxing gibbous 12 days old
  Magnitude: -12.4
  Moonlit: 83%

• Total:
  180’s x 10 subs = 30 minutes

Object :-

oooo

Object :-

Other name :-

Type :-

Magnitude :–

Distance :-

Constellation :-

Right Ascension :-

Declination :-

oooo

oooo

M34

NGC 1039

Open Cluster

+5.2

1,400 light years / 14 light years across

Per (Perseus / The Hero)

02h 42m 04s

+42° 47′ 22″

Enlarge on click the map.

(Click the map above for a large view.)