NGC 3603 and 3576 in Carina

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:02 pm

NGC 3603 (bottom cloud) is an open cluster of stars situated in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way around 20,000 light-years away from our solar system. and is surrounded by the most massive visible cloud of glowing gas and plasma known as a H II region in the Milky Way.

NGC 3576 (top cloud) is a minor nebula in the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy a few thousand light-years away from the Eta Carinae nebula. It is much closer and smaller than the distant 3603.

Photo taken last night 16th Feb 2010.

16 x ten minute sub-exposures combined with darks and flats calibration in MaxIm DL Essentials. Levels and curves in Photoshop Elements 6.

Camera: Orion Starshoot Pro III CCD Color
Telescope: Skywatcher Black Diamond 120mm APO refractor
Mount: EQ6 Pro.

Baz.

Bergkamp_ · Post by **Bergkamp_** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:35 am

very nice.. its so rich!

guangwei · Post by **guangwei** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:57 pm

fantastic!

wintertriangle22 · Post by **wintertriangle22** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:25 pm

Nice astro-photo, Barry. New stars in open clusters like the Pleiades or this open cluster NGC3603 always seem to be surrounded by the gases from which the stars were formed [smilie=good-job.gif]

yybmage · Post by **yybmage** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:59 pm

The skies in downunder are so dark, unlike here in sg.