open cluster A Cluster of Pearls in the Southern Skies ( NGC 3766 - "The Pearl Cluster" )

[MikeODay]

Shimmering like a pearl to the naked eye, this open cluster of mostly young blue stars ( known as the "Pearl Cluster" ) is approximately 5500  light years from Earth and was discovered by Abbe Lacaille in 1752 from South Africa.  

A Cluster of Pearls in the Southern Skies ( NGC 3766 " The Pearl Cluster" ) 
( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper - a full size image can be found here )

This HDR image is constructed from 11 sets of exposures ranging from 1/4 sec ( to capture the centre of the brighter stars ) through to 240 seconds ( for the fainter stars of the Milky Way ).  Total exposure time was around 5 hours.

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Image details can be found here