How to photograph the Beehive Cluster (M44)
A large, bright open cluster visible to the naked eye in spring.
Photo byChuck Ayoub(CC0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Beehive Cluster
The Beehive is a quick, easy target and a good test for focus, tracking and star colors. It suits short sessions and moonlit nights.
Gear and framing
The Beehive Cluster spans about 95′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Telephoto (85-300mm lens)
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This is a broadband target, which means its light is mostly starlight across the whole spectrum. Shoot it with no filter or a UV/IR cut filter. A broadband light pollution filter can help a little in the suburbs. Dual-band and narrowband filters block most of its light, so leave them off. Plan it for a moonless night at a dark site.
Tips
- 200-400mm frames the whole cluster.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.