Mānawatia a Matariki — Happy Māori New Year!
The Pleiades cluster ( Matariki )
M45, The Seven Sisters, The Pleiades, Subaru, Matariki. Just a few of the many names given to this beautiful, open cluster of stars with its dusty reflection nebula, diffusing the blue light from the extremely hot, bight, stars belonging to the cluster.
The Pleiades cluster is located in the constellation of Taurus, and is around 440 light years from earth.
These stars have been used historically to represent the the beginning of the astronomical year for some Maori tribes in New Zealand.
At this time of year it can be seen above the the north east horizon, just before dawn.
This image was captured using a William Optics 81mm refractor & a dedicated, colour astronomy camera.
The images is the result of around 6 hours of total exposure integration.
