SBIG ST-4000XCM
3x10min
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
Slight Crop for Framing
Link to Larger JPEG

M18 (NGC 6613) is a non-descript open cluster containing about 20 members, 4900 light years distant in the constellation Sagittarius. The cluster is very young - estimated to be about 32 million years old. The FOV here is filled with dense dust lanes obscuring some of the background stars.

July 16, 2010