The Fireworks Galaxy-NGC 6946

Color from last year's apo run. Funny coincidence that the number of frames and exposure were the same..

 

Interesting info (from Wikipedia):

"During 2009, a bright star within NGC 6946 flared up over several months to become over one million times as bright as the Sun. Shortly thereafter it faded rapidly. Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the star did not survive, although there remains some infrared emission from its position. This is thought to come from debris falling onto a black hole that formed when the star died."

 

Equipment

 

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses

Meade Starfinder 8 · Astro Tech AT66ED

Imaging Cameras

ZWO ASI1600 cooled mono · QHYCCD 163C

Mounts

Losmandy GM-8 · Celestron CG-4 MotorDrive

Filters

Orion SkyGlow Imaging Filter

Accessories

Baader MPCC coma corrector · OnStep GoTo Controller · Rigel Systems Focuser

Software

PHD2 Guiding · Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy · Astro Pixel Processor · Adobe Photoshop CS4 Photoshop CS4

Guiding Telescopes Or Lenses

Svbony 60mm guidescope

Guiding Cameras

ZWO ASI120MM

 

Acquisition details

 

Dates:

April 11, 2021 · April 30, 2022

Frames:

114x120" (3h 48')

Orion SkyGlow Imaging Filter: 114x120" (3h 48') f/5 -10°C bin 2x2

Integration:

7h 36'

Darks:

100

Flats:

50

Bias:

100

Avg. Moon age:

29.08 days

Avg. Moon phase:

0.24%

Bortle Dark-Sky Scale:

5.00

 

Basic astrometry details

 

Astrometry.net job: 5727930

 

RA center: 20h34m54s.10

 

DEC center: +60°09′50″

 

Pixel scale: 0.640 arcsec/pixel

 

Orientation: 196.143 degrees

 

Field radius: 0.521 degrees

 

Resolution: 4669x3538

 

Data source: Backyard

Done