Object: NGC 3201

NGC 3201 is a loosely concentrated globular cluster about 16,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Vela.  Lying very close to the galactic plane, this star cluster is positioned in a rich star field interspersed with faint dust lanes.  Careful examination of the image reveals the most prominent of these lanes radiating outward from the cluster in a 4:30 o’clock direction toward the bottom right corner of the frame.  The intervening dust in our line of sight to this cluster results in a distinct reddening of many of the field stars.

This image is the result of a collaborative effort between Howard Hedlund of Astro-Physics, Inc. and Dave Jurasevich.

  • Team: Dave Jurasevich and Howard Hedlund
  • Filters: Tru-Balance LRGB filter set - Gen 2
  • Exposure: L 6ea x 600 sec 1x1 bin, RGB 3 ea x 600 sec 1x1 bin
  • Date: December 2015
  • Software: CCDStack 2, Photoshop CS5