NGC4884 and more in Coma Berenices Galaxy Group (annotated)

It has been so long since I had a clear night that I thought I would try a target I have not looked at before. The result may not look as spectacular as some I have posted, but the detail in there is staggering.

 

In the constellation of Coma Berenices there is a cluster of thousands of galaxies. The centre is about 320 million light-years away and is flying away from us at the rate of about more than 15 million mph (24 million kph)!

 

The Coma Berenices galaxy cluster is one of the most populated galaxy clusters known. Scientists estimate that it contains as many as 10,000 or more members. Indeed, there are more individual galaxies in this cluster than there are stars visible to the unaided human eye on a clear, dark night.

I have posted another image which is not annotated so you can see the objects more clearly.

 

Most galaxies in the central part of the cluster are elliptical. Elliptical galaxies are the result of galaxy mergers. The two brightest members are NGC 4889 and NGC 4874, both of which are giant ellipticals. They are at least two to three times larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. Farther out from the centre are several spiral galaxies.

 

Above the centre of this image NGC 4921 is a large barred spiral galaxy. That galaxy is three times as large as the Milky Way.

 

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Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 81 APO

Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro

 

Controller: ZWO ASIAIR Plus 256G

Main Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -10C

Filter: Optolong L-Pro filter

Focuser: ZWO EAF

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI290MM Mini guidecam

Guide via: William Optics Refractor 50/200 mm

 

Stacked from:

Lights: 61 at 180s, gain 101, temp -10C

Darks: 30 at 180s, gain 101, temp -10C

Flats: 30 at 11.4s, gain 101, temp -10C

Dark Flats: 30 at 11.4s, gain 101, temp -10C

 

Bortle 4 sky.

 

SW Tools:

Stacked in AstroPixelProcessor

Stretched, processed and annotated in PixInsight.

Labels added in Adobe Photoshop CS4

 

 

 

Done