M21

M21 is one of the youngest of the open clusters in our Milky Way, estimated to be only about 4 ½ million years old. While its distance is not accurately known, it is undoubtedly relatively nearby, probably about 3,000 light-years. The cluster is quite densely populated in the center and thus appears to be a single bright star surrounded by a few fainter ones in small instruments but the actual group membership is about 50 stars. Time exposures reveal the rich background of more distant suns.

Image taken August 21, 2009, with the C-14 operating at F:7 The ST-8 was binned 2 X 2 and exposed for 5 minutes