I was confirming an minima observation of Algol last night when I noticed Mars rising through the thick atmosphere on the eastern horizon. It was unusually orange but as it rose its appearance sharpened up. I also noticed a fuzzy patch above it which I confirmed to be M45 (the Pleaides).

To record this observation I made this quick snapshot using a series of 30 second exposures. Not as much nebulosity as normally seen with M45 but a nice memory of the event.

Camera: Nikon Z6II
Lens: Nikkor 70-200/4 at 135mm
Sensor ISO: 400
Exposure: 75 light frames of 30 seconds at f/5.6
Tracking: Astrotrac AG
Processing: Pixinsight and Adobe Photoshop CC 2022