The Beehive
![[stars_061119_09.jpg]](stars_061119_09.jpg)
About 500 light-years away, in the constellation of Cancer, can be found one of the sky's most beautiful open clusters. The Beehive, also known as M44 or the Praesepe, is more than a degree across and easily seen by the naked eye. But binoculars or a low-power telescope will reveal a swarm of hundreds of stars.
Date: November 19, 2006
Time: 1:54 a.m. MST
Location: Four Peaks Road, Arizona
Camera: Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR on homemade tracking mount
Film: Fuji Sensia 400 slide (pushed one stop)
Focal length: 100 mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure time: 5 minutes
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan LS-2000 (cropped slightly)