I don't often image from home due to the increasing light pollution in town, but this minimally processed image of M46/M47 came out pretty decent. This was first light for my new (at the time) Canon T2i. The thermal noise was much lower than it had been with the 350D. The live view feature was especially nice for focusing.

This is a single, 1-minute guided image shot thru the C11/Hyperstar system. No flats, no darks. Just focus, point and shoot. The camera had not yet been modified for Ha, so the colors were true.

The image includes M46 (right), M47 (left) and NGC 2423 (upper left), three open star clusters in Puppis. The image also shows a small, dimmer open cluster, NGC 2425 (center) and NGC 2438, a planetary nebula (the cyan moiety seemingly in M46).

The two Messier objects were first observed by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771. Much like the Perseus Double Cluster, these two open clusters fit well in the field of view of binoculars or smaller telescopes making them a spendid visual target.

The field of view used to acquire the original image is shown on the right. Clicking on the image above will bring up a higher resolution image.

Enchanted Skies - Astrophotography by Rich Richins (all images copyright, Rich Richins)