2019 May 5 ~ Galaxies in the constellation Leo
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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 00.53 and 01.14 EDT
(285 km by road north of Toronto)
* Altitude of GALAXIES at time of exposures: 39°, declining to 35°
* Temperature 0° C.
* Total exposure time: 10 minutes
* 660 mm focal length telescope
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Description:
The constellations Leo, Ursa Major and Canes Venatici, which are well seen in the northern hemisphere spring, are populated with many galaxies that can be seen in amateur telescopes, as long as the observer gets out of the light-polluted city and finds a dark rural sky.
Near the familiar star pattern of Leo (the Lion) are three bright galaxies that are favourite targets of amateur stargazers. M66 (lower left) is a spiral galaxy located about 31 million km from our Milky Way galaxy. It has loosely wound arms and prominent dust lanes, and recedes from us at the rate of ~700 km per second.
The nearby M65 (lower right) is another spiral galaxy that is a little fainter and 4 million km further away than M66.
Both of these galaxies were discovered by famed French astronomer and comet hunter Charles Messier on 1780 March 1 at the Paris Observatory.
The larger but fainter galaxy NGC 3628 (top centre, also called the "Hamburger Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy at the same distance (35 million km) as M65. Discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1786, this galaxy appears almost edge-on as seen from Earth, and has a very prominent dark dust lane along its outer edge.
Foreground stars to about 16th magnitude can be seen in this image.
For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/40825176593
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Technical information:
Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic astrograph, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount
Ten stacked subframes; each frame:
ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/5.2, unguided
(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)
Subframes stacked in RegiStar;
Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness / contrast, colour balance)
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2019 May 5 ~ Galaxies in the constellation Leo
***************************************************************************
Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 00.53 and 01.14 EDT
(285 km by road north of Toronto)
* Altitude of GALAXIES at time of exposures: 39°, declining to 35°
* Temperature 0° C.
* Total exposure time: 10 minutes
* 660 mm focal length telescope
___________________________________________
Description:
The constellations Leo, Ursa Major and Canes Venatici, which are well seen in the northern hemisphere spring, are populated with many galaxies that can be seen in amateur telescopes, as long as the observer gets out of the light-polluted city and finds a dark rural sky.
Near the familiar star pattern of Leo (the Lion) are three bright galaxies that are favourite targets of amateur stargazers. M66 (lower left) is a spiral galaxy located about 31 million km from our Milky Way galaxy. It has loosely wound arms and prominent dust lanes, and recedes from us at the rate of ~700 km per second.
The nearby M65 (lower right) is another spiral galaxy that is a little fainter and 4 million km further away than M66.
Both of these galaxies were discovered by famed French astronomer and comet hunter Charles Messier on 1780 March 1 at the Paris Observatory.
The larger but fainter galaxy NGC 3628 (top centre, also called the "Hamburger Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy at the same distance (35 million km) as M65. Discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1786, this galaxy appears almost edge-on as seen from Earth, and has a very prominent dark dust lane along its outer edge.
Foreground stars to about 16th magnitude can be seen in this image.
For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/40825176593
__________________________________________
Technical information:
Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic astrograph, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount
Ten stacked subframes; each frame:
ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/5.2, unguided
(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)
Subframes stacked in RegiStar;
Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness / contrast, colour balance)
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