M35 — Shoe-Buckle Cluster
Open Cluster in Gemini
About
A rich open cluster in Gemini, about 2,970 light-years away and roughly 100 million years old. It spans about the width of the full Moon, and the much more distant, compact cluster NGC 2158 sits just to its southwest.
Imaging tips
- About 28′ across: 870–1,440 mm on APS-C frames it with room around it.
- NGC 2158 lies about 15′ southwest of M35, so centre the camera between them to keep both in the frame.
- On one night the guiding computer failed, so the imager shot unguided 30-second frames: little trailing, but only middling detail.
- A 4 h 48 min LRGB set on a small refractor is one example of a deep result: 54 two-minute luminance subs plus ten- and five-minute colour.
- Best in December and January.
Facts
- Size
- 28′
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Coordinates
- RA 6h 8.9m, Dec +24° 20′
- Framing, APS-C
- 870–1440 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 1330–2210 mm
- Best months
- Jan, Dec
- Peak altitude
- 64° from 50°N, 79° from 35°N