NGC2438 Smoke Ring in M46 - telescope processed image. This star planetary nebula looks like a smoke ring inside the M46 star cluster, but it's actually just a foreground object much closer to Earth.

NGC2438 Smoke Ring in M46 - unprocessed image. It looks perfectly nestled in the M46 star cluster, but it's an illusion! It's a foreground object over {2,000 light-years closer} to us.

Here is #NGC2438 #SmokeRing in #M46 #cluster. #unistellar #odysseypro #space #astronomy #amateur

#Messier 46 and Messier 47. A tiny ring is visible in M46, #PlanetaryNebula #NGC2438. A weaker planetary nebula sits to the right of M46: PN M1-18.
Image from Yass, NSW with #Sharpstar 140mm and #ZWO #ASI6200MC. Larger: www.flickr.com/photos/dodi-...
#astronomy #astrophotography #space #deepsky

Star Cluster M46 - telescope processed image. M46 is a rich open star cluster in the constellation Puppis, containing approximately 500 stars. A planetary nebula (NGC 2438) appears to be within it, but is actually a foreground object.

Star cluster M46 - unprocessed image. This approximately 300 million-year-old open cluster appears to host the colorful planetary nebula NGC 2438, though it's actually much closer, a cosmic photobomb.

Another #cluster observation from this morning - #M46 You can see #NGC2438 with is a planetary nebula. #unistellar #odysseypro #space #astronomy #amateur

A stunning deep-space image showcasing the open star clusters M46 (upper left) and M47 (lower right) in the Puppis constellation. M46, approximately 5,400 light-years away, is older and contains hundreds of stars, while the younger M47, at 1,600 light-years, is smaller and looser. Interestingly, the planetary nebula NGC 2438, a foreground object, is superimposed on M46, illustrating the vast distances and coincidental alignments in space.

Astronomy Picture from 10/09/2006

Star Clusters Young and Old

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060910.html


#StarClusters #M46 #M47 #NGC2438 #PlanetaryNebula #MilkyWay #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Space #Stars #Cosmology #DeepSpace