Situated in the constellation of Monoceros is the rich open cluster, M50. This cluster is not particularly well known as it is situated is a rather sparse region of the sky. It is however, a fine object for small telescopes.

M50 is a moderately compact cluster of stars, and most the brightest stars are blue, main-sequence stars that are around magnitude 8. Near the southern edge of the cluster is one orange giant star. This is HD 52938, and at magnitude 7.9, it is the brightest star in the cluster. Since the cluster is fairly compact, it is a fine object in the telescope.

45 minutes exposure, Kodak Gold 400 film.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

45 minutes exposure, Kodak Ektachrome 400 slide film.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Combination of 15, 1 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG ST-9XE CCD. 12" f/10 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.