M41 - The Little Beehive Cluster Astrophotography
Messier 41 is an open cluster in the constellation of the dog: Canis Major. It is sometimes called the Little Beehive Cluster, as it can slightly look like a smaller version of the regular Beehive Cluster M44.
M41 has a size of almost the full moon, and can be found not far from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
Object Designation: M41, NGC 2287
Also known as: The Little Beehive Cluster
Constellation: Canis Major
Object Type: Open Cluster
Distance: 2,360 light-years away
Magnitude: 4.5
Discovered in: Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654
I decided to image M41 in RGB+HA to see if there was Hydrogen Alpha gas near or behind it. I noticed a slight red hue by M41 in my wide-field shot of the Canis Major constellation with a camera lens, and so I thought it was worth checking it out with an HA filter using a telescope. As you'll see, it was a good idea!
In the northern hemisphere, Messier 41 is best observed and photographed in the Winter months.
Messier 41 Astrophotography with a Monochrome Camera in RGB-HA
December 2024
Like I said earlier, I decided to image M41 not just in broadband but also with an HA filter. As you can see in the main picture, there is so much Hydrogen Alpha gas visible in the frame, both behind and around the cluster. It was nice seeing this appear after stacking the data as I spent 25 hours shooting what could have been just a few stars on an empty dark background.
I image this from Starfront Observatories, where my telescope has been hosted since Summer of 2024. It has been so nice to be able to photograph all my targets from a dark site with so many clear nights all year long. Starfront is by far the most affordable remote observatory in the US, and has quickly become the one with the most telescopes in the world.
We made a video about Starfront when we installed our equipment there, and we recommend you watch it if you want to learn more about it!
Here is the final image of M41, where the cluster is visible overlapping a lot of Hydrogen Alpha!
Click the picture to see it in full resolution!
Learn how to process your data like this with our PixInsight processing guides.
GEAR USED:
Camera: QHY600M
Telescope: Stellarvue SVX130
Mount: 10Micron GM1000 HPS
Accessories: Moonlite Nitecrawler focuser / Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox
Processing: Pixinsight with RC-Astro plugins, final touches in Skylum Luminar Neo
ACQUISITION DETAILS:
Total Exposure Time: 25 hours
Exposure Time per frame: 10 minutes
Filters: Chroma 3nm S/H/O
Gain: 56
Imaging M41 Wide-field with a Camera Lens
February 2021
I have photographed M41 using a mirrorless camera taking 2 minute exposures for three hours from a dark site in the desert. Here you can see the entire constellation of Canis Major, with the open cluster M41 circled. You can clearly see where it is in relation to Sirius and the Winter Milky Way band.
GEAR USED:
Camera: Canon Ra
Processing: Pixinsight
ACQUISITION DETAILS:
Total Exposure Time: 2.9 hours
Exposure Time per frame: 2 minutes
Calibrated with 15 Darks and 15 Bias
ISO: 3200
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Locating Messier 41
Finding M41 is easier than you might think, and all you need to do is start with Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
Messier 41 can be spotted about 4 degrees south of Sirius, about the width of eight full moons. Sirius is part of the Winter Triangle and can be found by following Orion’s Belt downward and left.
From a dark site, M41 can be spotted with the naked eye as a faint, hazy patch although it is not easy. It is much better to observe it with binoculars or a telescope. This cluster is brightest from December to March.
Processing M41
Below you can see what the stacked results of M41 looked like in R, G, B, and HA from left to right. Of course, the R, G and B look event-less, with only the stars visible and nothing in the background. The HA master though shows some nice yet very faint gas all over!
As for the processing, you can learn how to process your images the same way I do by getting our guides HERE.
The processing was overall not difficult. I followed the same thing I did for the Double Cluster in Perseus, and used the starless HA as the background. The rest was pretty basic, with your typical noise reduction, cropping, and detail enhancements of the starless image before adding the stars to it.
Final Thoughts
The Little Beehive Cluster might feel like a boring target at first, but spending enough time on it and using an HA filter really transforms it into something impressive! Here you can see what the starless file looked like, where all the gas is nicely visible. It is an overall easy target for beginners in RGB, and a slightly more advanced object with the added HA filter.
Have you captured M41? Attach your image in the comments and let us know what equipment you used!
Clear Skies,
Galactic Hunter
