M7, Open Cluster Near Scorpius
Messier object number 7 is one of the best binocular clusters in the sky, with stars ranging from mag 7 to mag 12. Nearby M6 is also a great binocular target. This cluster and nebulosity is found at the tail of Scorpius the scorpion. You can see the backdrop of the Milky Way, along with various dark nebulae in the area. The above is a crop of maybe half the frame; check out the lins below for the full frame. This is an image from 2004 taken in the Davis Mountains, Texas.
Photo Notes: Nikon SLR Camera, Nikon 300mm F2.8 ED lens at F2.8; around 15 minutes exposure on Kodak LE400 film.
This is a great binocular object in Scorpius. Binocs will take in a view just a bit smaller than the 300mm (top picture/film camera) frame.
M6 is just north of (above) M7, in the low south during summer months. It's visible naked-eye from decent suburban skies. I believe that's part of NGC-6383 above right. Just before Midnight, 5/30/2005, Wimberly Texas. Effective frame size of a 1130mm lens considering the 1.5x magnification factor of my Nikon D100 Digital SLR (D-SLR) camera. Takahashi TOA 130 (5" APO refractor) With reducer, focal length is 754mm at f5.8
Clusters Page 1, Astrophotography: Clusters Page 2 by Dick Locke, Astrophotography: Clusters Page 3, by Dick Locke
Southern Scorpius: Cat's Paw Nebula, NGC 6634
Images Copyright © 2005 Dick Locke. All Rights Reserved.
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