A Night of Celestial Capture: An Adventure Journal

 Last night I took my first astronomical photograph of M45, using my Seestar S50, pointed at the M45 star cluster, also known as the Pleiades.

During a 54-minute exposure, I captured something that left me speechless: in addition to the bright stars, nebulous areas appeared, like clumps of gas floating among them. At first, I thought I couldn't possibly have been that lucky.

What are those clouds surrounding the Pleiades?

The Pleiades are immersed in a cloud of interstellar dust that reflects the blue light of its young stars. What my camera captured wasn't Earth-bound clouds, but reflected nebulosity, part of M45's cosmic environment. It's a kind of celestial veil that only reveals itself with patience, good optics, and clear skies.