Technically, it’s an asterism, a collection of stars that are smaller than a constellation and look like something to our pattern-seeking monkey brains, in this case, a coat hanger. Officially it’s known as Brocchi’s Cluster and at this time of year it’s high overhead about 9:30 to 10:00. (Here‘s an excellent close-up of it.)
This is one of my full-resolution images from tonight, taken with the “light bucket” wide angle lens (16mm) that I love so much, using an 8 second exposure at F 2.80, looking from about the zenith down to the horizon in the west. Click on it for the full-sized image – can you spot the coat hangar (“upside down”) in the upper center?
I’m always surprised when I shoot these pictures. Given the coastal haze and light pollution from the city all around me (a 30-second exposure is completely white and washed out) that’s so bad that I could only see maybe a dozen of these stars with the naked eye, it’s amazing that the camera can pull out all of the detail it does. It’s all up there, it’s just so sad at times that we’ve shut ourselves away from it all.
Those brief few minutes under a dark, clear sky when we first got to Vermont two weeks ago will stick with me a long time. I need a lot more of that and a lot less of this.
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 