Markarian's Chain

Markarian's Chain is a stretch of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. When viewed from Earth, the galaxies lie along a smoothly curved line. Charles Messier first discovered two of the galaxies, M84 and M86, in 1781. The other galaxies seen in the chain were discovered by William Herschel and are now known primarily by their catalog numbers in Dreyer's New General Catalogue, published in 1888. The chain of galaxies was ultimately named after the Soviet astrophysicist, Benjamin Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s. (Wiki)

 

Also included in this image (far left) is the spiral galaxy M88, located in the constellation Coma Berenices.

 

Rio Rancho NM Bortle 5 zone,

March 23-24, 2023

William Optics Redcat 51

ZWO 183mm pro

ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini

ZWO ASI Air Pro

Sky-Watcher HEQ5

52 x 300s Red

48 x 300s Blue

48 x 300s Green

 

Darks Flats Dithering

Gain 111 at -10C

Processed in DSS, GraXpert, and PS

Done