M46


 
 

M46 10 minute exposure

980329: M46 with NGC 2438: 10 minute exposure at f11 with 27 micron pixels. This is an open cluster with a total population of over 500 stars which is about 5000 light years distant. Note the planetary nebula NGC 2438 which appears to be within the cluster. It is actually about 3000 light years away, receding from us at much higher rate than the cluster, and is the remnant of a star that is much older (1 billion yr. plus) than the 300 million year age of the cluster.


This page last updated on May 12, 1998.