M24

Sagittarius - Star Cloud - Magnitude 4.6

M24 - The Sagittarius Star Cloud

Next to the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, this "star cloud" is the largest of the objects in Messier's catalog, approximately 2 degrees wide and 1degree tall. It appears to be a massive city of stars and dust easily seen by the naked eye at the northern border of Sagittarius. It's among the brighter objects in the Milky Way just north of the galactic center. M24 features two dark nebula on the Northern side of the star cluster, from left to right, Barnard 93 and 92 respectively. The red nebulosity at the upper left is M17, the Omega or Swan Nebula. The small open cluster, M18, is half way between M17 and M24.

Location: Texas Star Party 2003 near Fort Davis, Texas
Seeing: 7/10
Transparency: 9/10
Date and Time: May 1, 2003 @ 6:00 AM CST
Equipment: 420mm @ f4 (300mm Nikkor ED lens with TC14B teleconverter) guided with Meade 208xt
Length: 10 minutes
Film: Kodak Royal Gold 400
Processing Information: Levels adjustment and contrast increase.

Exposure Notes: This shot was taken during twilight of the dark west Texas skies. That's how bright this object appears!