Cosmic Photons Astrophotography : April 2020

Every day our eyes catch the light of our memories – time spent with family, the journey to work, a special holiday, a beautiful sunset or a dark starlit night. Each image captured is a picture drawn in light – a photograph: only to be lost in our minds or forever forgotten. Nearly two hundred years ago a small group of amateur scientists achieved what had eluded mankind for centuries – the ability to capture a permanent record of an image seen by their own eyes – a moment in time frozen onto a surface. They had discovered Photography. They were the ‘Catchers of the Light’.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Whirlpool Galaxy M51

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus.It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be 23 million light-years away from Earth.

Location: Via Lactea Observatory, Kristallopigi Paramithia, Greece

Instruments and exposure data
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro Belt Drive Mod
Guiding:
W.O ZS80 ED
Meade DSI
Imaging:
W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
SBIG ST10XME CFW9 Filters: Luminance Red Green Blue (Baader Planetarium)
Lum:132*5min, exposure 660min

Red:38*5min, exposure 190min

Green:35*5min, exposure 170min

Blue:36*5min, exposure 180min

Total exposure 20 hours

Monday, April 6, 2020

Whirlpool galaxy M51

An early version of M51,waiting for clear skies to add color.

Luminance only,this is a work in progress.

Location: Via Lactea Observatory, Kristallopigi Paramithia, Greece

Instruments and exposure data
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro Belt Drive Mod
Guiding:
W.O ZS80 ED
Meade DSI
Imaging:
W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
SBIG ST10XME CFW9 Filters: Luminance (Baader Planetarium)
Lum:132*5min total exposure 11h