M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy - LRGB - 2024-06
M51 in Ursa Major is the first galaxy for which a spiral structure was detected. William Parsons, the 3rd Earl of Rosse, observed and sketched M51's spiral arms using his 72" telescope in Ireland. M51 tidally interacts with an adjacent smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5194, creating the extended area of brightness you can see below and to the right of the galaxy pair.
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8"
Reducer: 0.7x (1440mm Focal Length)
Camera: QSI 683wsg
Filters: Baader RGB-CCD + UV/IR Cut
Mount: Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO
Integration: 40-50 mins each LRGB (5 min subframes)
Processing Software: PixInsight v1.8
M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy - LRGB - 2024-06
M51 in Ursa Major is the first galaxy for which a spiral structure was detected. William Parsons, the 3rd Earl of Rosse, observed and sketched M51's spiral arms using his 72" telescope in Ireland. M51 tidally interacts with an adjacent smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5194, creating the extended area of brightness you can see below and to the right of the galaxy pair.
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8"
Reducer: 0.7x (1440mm Focal Length)
Camera: QSI 683wsg
Filters: Baader RGB-CCD + UV/IR Cut
Mount: Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO
Integration: 40-50 mins each LRGB (5 min subframes)
Processing Software: PixInsight v1.8