M38

M38 is an open cluster in Auriga, a constellation you have probably never heard of. If you find the Pleieades (an easy task) with binoculars, then start looking around a few fields of view north, you will find this and nearby M36 without much effort.

Like most open clusters, photographs don't quite capture the beauty like the view through a small scope or binoculars does. This cluster is famous for its odd shape, which is not that evident in this photo, and is completely impossible to notice with larger scopes. With a low-power eyepiece in my own scope, it is breathtaking, though.