The Pleiades
The Pleiades (or Messier 45) is an open star cluster of middle-aged 'hot' stars located in the constellation of Taurus. This middle-aged 'hot' astronomer has been wanted to shoot the Pleiades since I purchased my 8" Newtonian telescope 3 years ago. The 'field-of-view' native to my scope nicely frames this beautiful star cluster with all it's blue wisps of star-lit nebulosity. The image below is the sum total of 3 hours exposure.Other than Orion and the Big Dipper, the Pleiades is the only starry object in the sky that God references in the Bible! My favorite is when he questions Job's doubt in Job 38:31 below (it's a message that seems like it was written specifically for me):
Job 9:9 - He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
Job 38:31 - “Can you direct the movement of the stars— binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?
Amos 5:8 - It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!
Job 38:31 - “Can you direct the movement of the stars— binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?
Amos 5:8 - It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!
...Consider the size of this star cluster at 16 light years (left to right)... or 160 trillion kilometers! God simply bound (or connected) it's stars together in the palm of His hand! It's another great example of his magnificent art work and power!
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| M45 "The Pleiades" - 60 x 3 minute frames = 3 hours totsl exposure @ 1600 iso |
