View allAll Photos Tagged messier105

Messier 96 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring, a fainter outer ring and a dark dust lane linking the 2. Top right is a trio of galaxies. Messier 105 is the more round of the 2 elliptical galaxies. NGC 3384 is the more elliptical and the small blue spiral galaxy is NGC 3389.

 

Technical Card

900/120mm f/7 Skywatcher Esprit 120 pro triplet refractor.

Skywatcher 1.0 x FF with 2 inch IDAS P3 LPS filter

ZWO ASI2600MC; 55 x 240 second subs, Gain 100, Offset 25, Temp = -15c.

 

EQ6 pro mount with Rowan belt drives. EQMOD control. Pegasus Astro FocusCube electronic focuser.

 

Session control; SharpCap 4.0 on laptop with WiFi link to IPad.

Automated plate solving GOTO (via ASTAP).

Automated FWHM multistar focusing +/- 200 steps at 5s and 600 gain.

  

40 dark frames

50 flat frames (electroluminescent panel, 2800ms exposure @ 0 gain).

 

Post processed in PixInsight 1.8.9.

 

Light Pollution and Weather:

SQM (L) 20.28 at 0030hrs.

Session clear throughout.

Temp -1.8c, Dewpoint -1.5c, Saturation 98%

 

Polar Alignment:

Error measured by PHD2= 0.1 arc minute.

RA drift + 2.16 arcsec/min

Dec drift + 0.03 arcsec/min

 

Guiding:

PHD2 guiding with ZWO ASI290mm mini /Primalucelab 240/60mm guider. Every 7th sub dithered.

RA RMS error 0.84 arcsec

Dec RMS error 0.73 arcsec

 

Astrometry:

Resolution: 0.900 arcsec/px

Rotation: 104.929 deg

Observation start time: 2023-03-14 21:19:04 UTC

Observation end time: 2023-03-15 01:18:39 UTC

Focal distance: 861.44 mm

Pixel size: 3.76 um

Field of view: 1d 15' 23.1" x 44' 57.3"

Image center: RA: 10 47 34.157 Dec: +12 13 44.96

 

Issues

Quite a lot of mechanical backlash on the focuser made me hesitant about using autofocusing frequently through the night. Im not certain that I got tight focussing. Probably needs more benchwork. UPDATE: Mechanical focuser replaced.

 

Stars are hexagonal and bright stars show pinched optics. This phenomenon is known with the Esprit 120 and is worse in cold weather, The 6 sets of 3 screws holding the lens element can be accessed by removing the dew shield and a layer of anti-reflective felt tape overlying the lenses.

UPDATE: I have backed off each of the 6 x 3 screws by 1/8 turn. It may be worthwhile experimenting with dew heating strip placement if that doesn’t work. Temp was -2c last night.

It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s centre are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the centre to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus.

 

Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105, which was thought to be a “dead” galaxy incapable of star formation. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10 000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbour, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384.

 

Messier 105 was discovered in 1781, lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

 

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Sarazin et al. ; CC BY 4.0

Three Messier List galaxies in Leo - top left are spiral galaxies Messier 95 and 96 from L to R.

 

Then bottom R is a group of 3 galaxies. Messier 105 is the more globular elliptical galaxy. NGC 3384 is the elongated elliptical beside it and small spiral NGC3389 completes that grouping.

 

System 1 Scope:

Camera: QHY600M 16-Bit CMOS, Binned x2

Optics: Takahashi FSQ130

Aperture: 130mm

Focal Length: 650mm

Focal Ratio: F5

Guiding: Stellarvue 50mm

It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s center are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it, making the system an active galactic nucleus that causes the galaxy’s center to shine far brighter than its surroundings.

 

Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messier 105, a galaxy thought to be “dead” and incapable of star formation. Astronomers now think that Messier 105 forms roughly one Sun-like star every 10,000 years. Astronomers also spotted star-forming activity in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbor, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384.

 

Discovered in 1781, Messier 105 lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion) and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Sarazin et al.

 

#NASAMarshall #NASA #astrophysics #NASA #galaxy #ESA #NASAGoddard

 

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A galaxy-rich part of the constellation Leo. The three most prominent galaxies are: NGC 3384, an elliptical galaxy estimated to be between 26 and 37 million light years away (depending on which source you use); M105, also an elliptical galaxy approximately 36 million light years away; and NGC 3389, a spiral galaxy estimated to be between 74 and 80 million light years away. The smaller galaxies with the PGC designations (Principal Galaxies Catalog) have distances between 102 and 117 million light years. The most distant object is IC 643 which is approximately 322 million light years away...so when the photons left that galaxy the first land vertebrates were appearing on Earth. Some of these galaxies are barely visible in this image, others are surprisingly bright. There are plenty of other galaxies I noticed but I couldn't find any information about them. Below are the distances for the PGC objects given by Stellarium as well as IC 643 which I converted from megaparsecs to light years (Mly = million light years). It's amazing what you can see on a clear night!

 

PGC 32353 - 117.465 Mly

PGC 32315 - 117.432 Mly

PGC 83354 - 115.377 Mly

PGC 32488 - 115.377 Mly

PGC 32371 - 103.014 Mly

PGC 32393 - 114.561 Mly

PGC 32346 - 102.818 Mly

IC 643 - 322.24 Mly

 

Information from:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3384

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_105

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3389

astro-map.com/get_ngcic.php?ID=IC_643

 

038 x 300 second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -20°C

050 x dark frames

040 x flat frames

100 x bias frames (subtracted from flat frames)

Binning 1x1

Total integration time = 3 hours 10 minutes

 

Captured with APT

Guided with PHD2

Processed in Nebulosity, Fitsworks, Lightroom and Photoshop

 

Equipment:

Telescope: Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PDS

Mount: Skywatcher EQ5

Guide Scope: Orion 50mm Mini

Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI120MC

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI1600MC Pro

Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector

Light pollution filter

M105 is an elliptical galaxy 32 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It is the largest elliptical in the Messier catalog that is not a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. M105 does, however, belong to the M96 (or Leo I) Group, which includes neighbors M95 and M96 as well as several other fainter galaxies. Charles Messier’s colleague Pierre Méchain discovered M105 in 1781 just a few days after locating M95 and M96. Yet M105 was not originally included in Messier’s catalog. It was added in 1947 after astronomer Helen S. Hogg found a letter written by Méchain describing the galaxy.

 

This Hubble image of M105 was taken in near-infrared and visible light. Like most elliptical galaxies it appears rather featureless and inactive. However, Hubble observations surprised astronomers by revealing young stars and star clusters in M105, indicating that star formation is still taking place in what was thought to be a “dead” galaxy no longer capable of giving birth to new stars. Other Hubble observations measured the speeds of stars moving around the center of the galaxy, which demonstrated that a supermassive black hole resides at M105’s core.

 

Best observed in April, M105 has an apparent magnitude of 10.2 and can be spotted with a small telescope. Large telescopes will uncover two fainter galaxies (NGC 3384 and NGC 3389) close to the bright elliptical.

 

For more information about Hubble’s observations of M105, see:

hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/1997/news-1997-01.html

 

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and C. Sarazin (University of Virginia)

Hubble peered into the core of M105 (also known as NGC 3379) and measured the motions of stars swirling around its center. These observations proved that a supermassive black hole resides at the galaxy’s heart. According to recent estimates, this black hole could be up to 200 million times as massive as our Sun.

 

For more information about Hubble’s observations of M105, see:

hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/1997/news-1997-01.html

 

Credit: NASA, ESA, Karl Gebhardt (University of Michigan), and Tod Lauer (NOAO)

Once again, I re-processed some old data from my hard drive (this time M105). Once DSS had finished working its magic I noticed that in addition to the three main galaxies there were a lot of other faint fuzzies in the field, which came as a bit of a surprise... the last time I processed this data I came up with a very poor image and could barely see M105.

 

So for fun, I got out Sky Safari and started looking up all of the galaxies within the image. Here's the list of the galaxies I verified and their magnitudes:

 

Messier 105, 9.30

NGC 3371, 9.89

NGC 3373, 11.89

IC 643, 14.30

PGC 32488, 14.94

PGC 32393, 15.64

PGC 32371, 15.72

PGC 1408155, 16.17

PGC 1416013, 16.61

PGC 1410257, 16.79

PGC 1410190, 16.86

PGC 1418611, 16.94

PGC 83352, 17.26

PGC 1412396, 17.34

PGC 1410893, 17.38

PGC 1410359, 17.39

PGC 1414181, 17.48

PGC 1410090, 17.71

PGC 3538952, 17.71

PGC 32327, 17.73

PGC 1406886, 17.88

PGC 1413607, 17.95

 

Some of these are only specks, but they're there. I'm pretty sure there are other ones here, too, but Sky Safari maxes out at magnitude 18. Amazing to think that each one of these specks is made of billions of stars. The universe is incredible.

Edited Hubble Space Telescope image of M 105, a large elliptical galaxy with what looks like a jet of material from its center. Color/processing variant.

 

Original caption: It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s centre are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the centre to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus. Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105, which was thought to be a “dead” galaxy incapable of star formation. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10 000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbour, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384. Messier 105 was discovered in 1781, lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

Edited Hubble Space Telescope image of M 105, a large elliptical galaxy with what looks like a jet of material from its center.

 

Original caption: It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s centre are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the centre to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus. Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105, which was thought to be a “dead” galaxy incapable of star formation. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10 000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbour, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384. Messier 105 was discovered in 1781, lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

21x300s - QHY21 - Sky-Watcher Equinox 80mm refractor - NEQ6-Pro

Edited Hubble Space Telescope image of M 105, a large elliptical galaxy with what looks like a jet of material from its center. Color/processing variant.

 

Original caption: It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s centre are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the centre to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus. Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105, which was thought to be a “dead” galaxy incapable of star formation. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10 000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbour, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384. Messier 105 was discovered in 1781, lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

Edited Hubble Space Telescope image of M 105, a large elliptical galaxy with what looks like a jet of material from its center. Color/processing variant.

 

Original caption: It might appear featureless and unexciting at first glance, but NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations of this elliptical galaxy — known as Messier 105 — show that the stars near the galaxy’s centre are moving very rapidly. Astronomers have concluded that these stars are zooming around a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 200 million Suns! This black hole releases huge amounts of energy as it consumes matter falling into it and causing the centre to shine far brighter than its surroundings. This system is known as an active galactic nucleus. Hubble also surprised astronomers by revealing a few young stars and clusters in Messer 105, which was thought to be a “dead” galaxy incapable of star formation. Messier 105 is now thought to form roughly one Sun-like star every 10 000 years. Star-forming activity has also been spotted in a vast ring of hydrogen gas encircling both Messier 105 and its closest neighbour, the lenticular galaxy NGC 3384. Messier 105 was discovered in 1781, lies about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and is the brightest elliptical galaxy within the Leo I galaxy group.

Le triplet de galaxies M105, NGC 3384 et NGC 3389. Image réalisée en empilant avec GIMP près de 100 clichés réalisées avec une caméra Altaïr GP-Cam au foyer d'un télescope Skywatcher 150/750. Les images de base, hélas, étaient assez bruitées, ce qui fait que le résultat final manque de détails.

Encore un petit groupe de galaxies dans le Lion. Je suis sûr que je peux faire mieux sur celles-là.

More galaxies seen while staring deep and long into the constellation of Leo. The biggest spiral in the upper right is Messier 95, the almost as big spiral below it is Messier 96 and the elliptical below the center of the image (directly above two smaller spirals) is Messier 105. All are just over 30 million light years from us. Leo is pretty awesome for filling up the Messier catalog checklist! #messier95 #messier96 #messier105 #deepskyphotography #astrophotography #messierobjects #messiermarathon