A wide-field image of the Twins, Gemini. The bright stars Pollux and Castor are on the left. M35 and NGC 2158 two open clusters also stand out. South of M35, the nebula NGC 2174, aka the Monkey Nebula, is visible in this image as a small red patch. There is also a hint of the larger nebula IC 443. The Christmas Tree Cluster NGC 2264, located in Monoceros, is at the bottom right in this frame.
Date: December 16, 2009
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Optics: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Camera: Hutech modified Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: One RAW image of 4 minutes, ISO 800