The Gentle Wheel of Winter Light

M36, the Pinwheel Cluster, turns quietly within the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer of the northern sky. Lying about 4,100 light-years from Earth, this open star cluster is a cradle of youth—only 25 million years old, its stars still glowing with the blue-white vigor of stellar infancy. Each point of light is a sun born from the same molecular cloud, drifting together through the Milky Way. To find M36, follow Auriga’s bright pentagon and look near Theta Aurigae, where this soft wheel of stars reveals itself under dark skies.

Camera: ZWO-ASI2600MCPRO

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ-6R Pro Computerized Equatorial Mount S303000

Guide camera OAG & ZWO ASI220 Mini USB 2.0 Mono Guide Camera

Celestron .7x Focal Reducer for 8" EdgeHD Telescopes

Telescope: EdgeHD8

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Color Camera (2025)

USB

Images were stacked in DeepskyStacker, processed in Pixinsight and Photoshop