M45
The Pleiades are one of the sky's most iconic star clusters, visible to the naked eye as a tight knot of blue stars in Taurus. Long exposures reveal delicate wisps of blue reflection nebulosity surrounding the brightest members.
Use your telescope rigs to see how this object appears.
Telescope setups ranked by optical compatibility with this target.
Beginner Astrophotography Rig
Simple and beginner-friendly deep-sky imaging setup. The RedCat 51 is a forgiving short focal length scope; the ASI533MC square sensor fits its field perfectly.
6 components
Beginner Backyard Observer
A complete 8" Dobsonian package on a smooth alt-az base — the classic best-value first telescope. Eight inches of aperture shows the Moon and planets in detail and pulls in bright galaxies and nebulae, and it comes ready to observe out of the box. Paired here with a wide 2" low-power eyepiece and a sharp high-power eyepiece to cover the whole range.
4 components
Portable Deep-Sky Imager
A modern strain-wave imaging rig. The ZWO AM5N harmonic mount carries real payload with no counterweight and folds down small, while the Askar FRA400C quintuplet delivers a flat, fast field for nebulae and larger galaxies. Add the ASIAIR and a guide scope and you have a complete, travel-ready astrophotography setup that used to take a carload.
6 components
Milky Way Tracker
The simplest way into tracked astrophotography. A Star Adventurer 2i quietly follows the sky so your exposures stay sharp, while the RedCat 51 frames constellations, the Milky Way core, and big nebula regions edge-to-edge. There's no laptop and no guiding to learn — level it, point it, and shoot. Bring your own DSLR or mirrorless, or add the dedicated cooled camera.
3 components