Quasar 3c 309.1

"Quasar, an astronomical object of very high luminosity found in the centers of some galaxies and powered by gas spiraling at high velocity into an extremely large black hole."

 

Someone once asked me "What's the most distant thing you have ever seen". Kind of an interesting question really.

 

This takes the prize. Quasar 3c 309.1 off the bottom of the Little Dipper. Not much to look at, just a little dot really, but at a distance of 8 billion light years. Hard to imagine that photon left there 3 1/2 billion years before our planet even formed. Hard to imagine too a light source that powerful.

 

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Meade Starfinder 8

 

Imaging cameras: ZWO ASI1600 cooled mono

 

Mounts: Losmandy GM-8

 

Guiding telescopes or lenses: MEADE 50mm Finder Guidescope

 

Guiding cameras: ZWO ASI120MM

 

Software: Astro Pixel Processor · Adobe Photoshop CS4 Photoshop CS4

 

Filters: Orion SkyGlow Imaging Filter

 

Accessory: Rigel Systems Focuser · Baader MPCC coma corrector

 

Dates:April 17, 2021

 

Frames: 246x75"

 

Integration: 5.1 hours

 

Avg. Moon age: 4.82 days

 

Avg. Moon phase: 24.09%

Basic astrometry details

 

Astrometry.net job: 4423103

 

Resolution: 4965x3759

 

Data source: Backyard

Done