M38, An open cluster - this image cropped and reduced from the original photo

High above Orion, near the zenith and within the swath of the Milky way, are three nice open clusters M36, M37, & M38. M38 is the upper right of the three. It's about 4200 light years away and spread over about 20 light years in width. M38 has the fewest stars, and is the dimmest of the three. Although not readily apparent in this image, the brightest stars form a large rough X over its extent. It's middle aged as new clusters go, at about 220 million years. Visually it has an overall magnitude of 7.4 and is about 20 arc minutes wide.

10" F6.3 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope, (1600mm F.L.) Modified Canon 40D camera using a Baader coma corrector and IR-UV filter, placed at the scope's prime focus
7 photos aligned and averaged together, then brightness, color, and contrast enhanced.
Each photo, 120 seconds exposure at ISO 1600