M22

M22 is a truly spectacular example of a star cluster since it is very near and, as we view it, towards the center of the galaxy. Thus, when M22 is observed we see hundreds of thousands of its constituents as well as a myriad of stars in the foreground/background. The ultimate of stars upon stars. M22 is estimated to be 10,000 light years away and around 65 light years across . This cluster can be seen easily in binoculars near the star atop the "teapot" asterism of Sagittarius.
Click on image for larger version.

Equipment

20in RC Optical Systems telescope Operating at f/5.5
Paramount ME Robotic Telescope Mount
SBIG ST10XME CCD camera with color filter wheel

L R G B color production was used to create this image.

Luminance = 10 minutes binned 1x1
 Red = 5 minutes binned 1x1
 Green = 5 minutes binned 1x1
 Blue = 10 minutes binned 1x1
  • Two iterations of L-R deconvolution (sharpening) algorithm using CCDsharp were applied to the luminance image.

  • Digital Development (DDP) via Maxim/DL was also used in order to display the the very dim and very bright details of the image simultaneously.

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    Minimum credit line: Doug Matthews/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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    Updated: 05/13/05