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Galaxies { 171 images } Created 18 Feb 2011

A gallery of images of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way, including the Magellanic Clouds. Because I shoot mostly with short-focal length (under 1000mm) apo refractors, the fields are wide and small objects like most galaxies are tiny on the frame, though they do better match the appearance through eyepieces.

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Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluste...jpg
Andromeda (50mm 5DII).jpg
$A wide-field framing of the famous Andromeda Galaxy, aka M31 showing it above the two "guidestars," Mu (bottom) and Nu Andromedae that are used to star hop to the galaxy. Above M31 is one of its companion galaxies, M110, while below it on the edge of M31 is the nearly starlike (at this scale) M32, its other companion galaxy. North is to the upper left in this orientation. The field of view is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 14 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon R6 camera at ISO 800, on the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor with its flattener/reducer for f/4.5. Only an Astronomik UV/IR Cut filter was employed. I had LENR turned on with the R6 to eliminate the amp glow flaw of the camera. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Stacked and aligned with Photoshop. Luminosity mask adjustments with Lumenzia helped bring out the outer structures. A high pass filter and the Starizona Galaxy Enhance action snapped up the dust lanes.$

Andromeda Galaxy Above Mu Andromedae...jpg
$Time for my annual image of the Andromeda Galaxy! This is M31, the spiral galaxy in Andromeda, with its two companion elliptical galaxies, the very small M32 below, and larger M110 above. North is up in this framing, in a set of images taken from home September 6, 2021. I shot this as a test of the Canon R6 mirrorless camera. It is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800, blended with a stack of 8 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 400 for the core, to prevent it from overexposing too much, all with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor at f/4.4 with its field flattener/reducer, and autoguided with the MGEN3 autoguider, with interframe dithering applied, and no darks or LENR employed. It was on the Mach 1 mount. Some light haze added mild star glows. The faint arms and outer glows were brought out with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia and Zone System Express 7. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop.$

Andromeda Galaxy, M31, with Canon R6...jpg
Canes Venatici (RF135mm R5).jpg
Canopus to Carina with LMC (35mm 5DI...jpg
Coma Berenices & Canes Venatici ...jpg
Coma Berenices & Canes Venatici ...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices catalogued as Mel111, at right, and two prominent galaxies at left: the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at lower left, and NGC 4559 at upper left. NGC 4494 is between NGC 4565 and the star cluster at bottom. This is a stack of 19 x 4-minute exposures with the Sky-Watcher Evolux 82ED refractor and its 0.9x Corrector/Reducer for a focal length of 477mm at f/5.8. The Canon EOS Ra was at ISO 800. Images taken as part of testing this telescope in April 2022.$

Coma Berenices Cluster with Evolux 8...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field, including NGC 4494 between the Needle Galaxy and the star cluster, but looking very star-like at this image scale. I shot this April 11, 2021 on a fairly clear night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. A bit of passing haze added a touch of star glows. There is a version of this same field shot a week earlier in hazy skies with much fuzzier stars. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. No dark frames or LENR were applied. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.$

Coma Berenices Galaxies (SS94mm EOS ...jpg
$The immensely rich galaxy cluster Abell 1656 in Coma Berenices with two giant elliptical galaxies NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 at its heart. Both are about 11th magnitude. The face-on spiral galaxy NGC 4921 is at lower left at 12th magnitude; the tilted spiral NGC 4839 is at lower right, also 12th magnitude. The field is peppered with dozens of fainter galaxies from the NGC and PGC catalogues, all around 13th to 15th magnitude. The two bright blue stars are 7th magnitude. I shot this on a less than ideal night, with haze moving in, so this is a stack of only 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Shot May 5, 2021. Haze prevented more images to smooth the noise more. Autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.$

Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster (130mm...jpg
Coma Berenices (RF135mm R5).jpg
$The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Melotte 111, at right, with two prominent galaxies at left: NGC 4559 at top left and edge-on NGC 4565 at bottom left. This is a stack of 6 x 8 minute exposures with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor with the EDPH field flattener for f/4.5 and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Diffraction spikes added for effect using Astronomy Tools actions.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster and Gala...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices called Mel111, accompanied by several galaxies, notably the edge-on NGC 4565 at lower left and the spiral NGC 4559 at upper left. The field of view is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH II telescope at f/4.6 with its reducer (for a focal length of 280mm), and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Sub-frames dithered with the MGEN3 auto-guider. No darks applied. Diffraction spikes added in post for artistic effect.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster (SS61 Ra...jpg
Coma Berenices & Virgo (85mm EOS...jpg
Coma Berenices & Virgo with Arro...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS61 Ra).jpg
$A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS76 EOS Ra).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (200mm 6DII).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (WO51 EOS Ra...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region (RF135mm R5).jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region with Labels (RF135...jpg
Cor Caroli and M94 in Canes Venatici...jpg
$A framing of the core of the great Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster, with the bright pair of elliptical Messier-catalogue galaxies M84 (right) and M86 (on the left) at upper right anchoring the arc of galaxies called Markarian's Chain. At centre is the giant elliptical M87, famous for its monster black hole. M89, a smaller elliptical, is to the left, and M90, a spiral galaxy, is above it. M58 is at lower left, and the pair of interacting galaxies called the Siamese Twins, NGC 4568, are at bottom left. Dozens of other NGC, IC and PGC galaxies down to 15th magnitude dot the field. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT refractor and its Reducer for f/4.8 and only 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R at ISO 800, on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. Galaxies enhanced by a starless layer created with RC-Astro StarXTerminator, and with Detail Extractor filter in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Taken from home May 14-15, 2023.$

Heart of Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster (...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (135mm 5DII)-...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (77mm 5DII).jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud (Borg 77mm+5D...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud & Canopus...jpg
Large Magellanic Cloud in Trees (85m...jpg
La Superba and M106 (WO51mm EOS Ra).jpg
$This wide-field image frames the main stars of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs — Cor Caroli at bottom, and Chara at right of centre — and to also include in the frame the red star La Superba, aka Y Canum Venaticorum at top. Also in the field are the galaxies M94 below centre, M63 the Sunflower Galaxy at left, and NGC 4490 the Cocoon Galaxy at right above Chara. They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the stars of Canes Venatici, and the location of Y Can Ven. The red star La Superba was given its name by Fr. Angelo Secchi, and is one of the best examples of a red carbon star. It is one of the reddest stars in the sky. The field is 10° x 15°, so wider than binoculars. Cor Caroli is a double star but is not resolved at this scale. This is a stack of 8 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon EF 135mm lens stopped down to f/2.8 (thus the diffraction spikes on the stars) on the Canon Ra at ISO 1600, all on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker.$

La Superba Field in Canes Venatici (...jpg
$This is the "Leo Trio" or Leo Triplet of spiral galaxies, that includes two Messier galaxies: M65 (lower right), M66 (lower left), along with the edge-on spiral NGC 3628 (top). The galaxy NGC 3593 is at right. A number of other faint 15th-magnitude IC and PGC galaxies are also in the frame as tiny fuzzy spots hard to distinguish from stars at this scale. The Class K3 orange giant star 73 or n Leonis is at right. This is a stack of 24 x 3-minute exposures through the Askar V 80mm refractor, with its Extender lens for f/7.5 and 600mm focal length. With the modified Canon R at ISO1600. On the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount autoguided and interframe dithered with the Lacerta MGEN3, and with no filter employed. Taken from home April 13, 2023 as part of testing the telescope. Galaxies enhanced on a starless layer created with RC-Astro Star XTerminator, to bring out the galaxies without bloating the stars.$

Leo Trio (Askar V 80mm XT).jpg
LMC Above Cottage.jpg
LMC Above Trees.jpg
LMC & Canopus (6x7).jpg
LMC - Large Magellanic Cloud (135mm ...jpg
$LMC Mosaic, of two frames left and right side of LMC, taken with 77mm Borg astrographic refractor at f/4.3 and Hutech-modified Canon 5D at ISO 400 for 10 minute exposures -- each side is stack of 4 (left) or 5 (right) frames. No processing applied to pre-stitching layered files, just alignment and noise reduction with Noise Ninja. Mosaic created with Photoshop CS3 with Photomerge function -- in comparing it to Calico-created pan, it did not crop more of the image and did not have any residual registration artifacts visible at top in Calico-stitched version. Did have to touch up hard seam with Spot Healing tool. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, March 15, 2007.$

LMC Large Magellanic Cloud (77mm 5D).jpg
$A 4-panel mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and visible only from the southern hemisphere. The field takes in most of the LMC and its numerous nebulas and clusters. Notable is the Tarantula Nebula, NGC 2070, the cyan-tinted nebula at far left, surrounded by many other NGC nebulas and clusters. At right is the second largest and brightest nebula complex in the LMC, NGC 1763, dubbed the LMC Lagoon. This is a 4-panel mosaic taken March 31, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Each panel is a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop.$

LMC Mosaic (77mm 5DII).jpg
LMC & SMC (6x7).jpg
$This is a framing of the bright Messier spiral galaxy M101, with a number of its nearby galaxies in Ursa Major. The odd galaxy below M101 ins NGC 5474. NGC 5473, 5485 and 5486 are above M101. an edge-on at top centre is NGC 5422, while at the top edge is NGC 5443. The elongated galaxy above the blue star 86 UMa at right is 13th magnitude UGC 8337. This is a stack of 15 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT apo refractor with its 0.8x Reducer for f/4.8 and 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R camera at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. A starless layer created by RC-Astro StarXTerminator plug-in that contained just the galaxies helped to bring out the galaxies separate from the stars in processing. Plus I applied a Detail Extractor action in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Shot from home May 14, 2023 as part of testing the 90CFT scope.$

M101 (AT90CFT RMod).jpg
$This wide-field image frames the end stars of the Big Dipper's handle — Mizar at top, and Alkaid at bottom — and to also include in the frame the bright galaxies Messier 101 (at left) and Messier 51 (at lower right, aka the Whirlpool Galaxy). They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the Handle. The famous double star Mizar and Alcor is also obvious at top, as is the red giant star 83 Ursa Majoris. The field is 10° x 15°, so wider than binoculars. This is a stack of 8 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon EF 135mm lens stopped down to /2.8 (thus the diffraction spikes on the stars) on the Canon Ra at ISO 1600, all on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker.$

M101, M51 and Mizar in Big Dipper Ha...jpg
$Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major, a classic face-on spiral galaxy, large and obvious in binoculars. The odd galaxy at bottom is NGC 5474. This is a stack of 9 x 10-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener lens.$

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
$Taken April 23, 2006 with 5-inch apo refractor at f/4.5 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Four 10-minute exposures average-stacked.$

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy (5in f4.5).jpg
M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy (200mm 6DI...jpg
$Messier 102, aka NGC 5866 and the Spindle Galaxy, (at right) and the edge-on galaxy NGC 5907, called the Splinter Galaxy, at left, in Draco. NGC 5866 is often labelled as M102, but #102 on Messier’s list is usually considered to be a mistaken re-observation of M101. The smaller galaxies NGC 5908 (left) and NGC 5905 are at lower left. North is up. This is a stack of 8 x 9 minute exposures at f/6 with the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor and Canon 6D at ISO 1600. Taken from home on April 19, 2015.$

M102 & NGC 5907 (130mm 6D).jpg
$M104, the Sombrero Galaxy, in Virgo. Taken April 23, 2012 on a hazy night with M104 low in altitude from my home location. This is a stack of six 8-minute exposures at f/6 with the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor and the Canon 7D at ISO 800. Median combined to eliminate satellite trails and dust spots.$

M104, Sombrero Galaxy (130mm 7D).jpg
$The classic edge-on spiral, the Sombrero Galaxy, Messier 104, in Virgo. This object is always low in my home sky so tough to get a clean, sharp image of it, but this night, April 20, 2020, was as good as it gets for me. It looks like there is a little asteroid trail to the left of M104. I left it in. This is a stack of 6 x 10-minute exposures with Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 (with the 6x7 field flattener) and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800.$

M104 Sombrero Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M104 Sombrero Galaxy (Evolux 82 Ra).jpg
$M105 with NGC 3371 (left) and NGC 3373 (below), a galaxy triplet in Leo. Taken from home, with the 130mm AP apo refractor at f/6 and Canon 7D at ISO 800 for a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures, the last in moonlight after moonrise.$

M105 (130mm 7D).jpg
M106 (5in f4.5).jpg
$This is a framing of the bright Messier spiral galaxy M106 at top, with a number of its companions and nearby galaxies in Canes Venatici. The edge-on spiral to the right of M106 is NGC 4217; the elongated spiral at upper right is NGC 4096; the edge-on spiral right of centre is NGC 4144; the more face-on spiral at bottom is NGC 4242. Many other NGC and PGC galaxies down to 15th magnitude dot the field. The location of the galaxies of interest leant themselves to a classic Rule of Thirds composition with M106 at the intersection of the upper horizontal and vertical third lines. This is a stack of 15 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Tech 90CFT apo refractor with its 0.8x Reducer for f/4.8 and 480mm focal length, and the filter-modified Canon R camera at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Autoguided with the MGENIII autoguider. A starless layer created by RC-Astro StarXTerminator plug-in that contained just the galaxies helped to bring out the galaxies separate from the stars in processing. Plus I applied a Detail Extractor action in Nik Collection 6 Color EFX. Shot from home May 12, 2023 as part of testing the 90CFT scope.$

M106 and Companions (AT90CFT RMod).jpg
$The large and bright galaxy Messier (M) 106, in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a fine example of a spiral galaxy accompanied by many companion galaxies in the galaxy-ruch northern spring sky. At left is the edge-on galaxy NGC 4346; at top right is another edge-on NGC 4220; while at lower right is yet another edge-on NGC 4217 amid a nice field of colourful stars. The galaxy just to the right of M106 is NGC 4248. The faintest galaxies here are about 15th magnitude. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action applied overall to the image. Taken from home April 14/15, 2021. Slight high haze added some star glows.$

M106 in Canes Venatici (130mm EOS Ra...jpg
M106 in Canes Venatici (200mm 6DII).jpg
$M109, spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, off the bright Bowl star of the Big Dipper, Gamma Ursa Majoris, aka Phecda. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da on the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6.$

M109 in Ursa Major (130mm 60Da).jpg
M31 (5in f4.5).jpg
$The well-known Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, with its companion galaxies. M32, below it and seemingly embedded in M31's outer arms, and M110 above M31. Many yellow giant stars litter the field, as foreground stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. North is up in this framing. This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and on the StarField Optics Géar80 apo refractor with its matching reducer/flattener for f/4.8. Taken from home through breaks in passing clouds as part of testing of this new scope. No darks or LENR used, just dithering between each frame using the MGEN autoguider. High pass sharpening and a Starizona Galaxy Enhance effect was added to bring out the dark dust lanes.$

M31 and Companions (Gear80 Ra).jpg
M31 and M33 Galaxies (85mm R5).jpg
$M31, Andromeda Galaxy, with companions M32 and M110. Taken with 92mm TMB apo refractor and Borg 0.85x flattener/compressor, and Canon 5D MkII camera at ISO 400 for stack of 4 exposures x 10 minutes and stack of 2 exposures x 2 minutes (for the core) blended in Photoshop with layer mask. (Photomatix HDR did not work -- images did not align, due to field rotation?). North is up in this vertical orientation.$

M31 Andromeda (92mm 5DII).jpg
$M31 Andromeda Galaxy with M32 and M110, with 130mm AP apo refractor at f/4.5 with AP reducer/flattener, and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 for stack of 6 x 8 minute exposures.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (5in f4.5 5DII).jpg
$M31 Andromeda galaxy with M32 (bottom) and M110 (top) With Williams Optics FLT110 f/6.5 apo refractor with field flattener and Pentax 6x7 camera. Ektachrome E200 slide film and 1 hour exposure. Single image. Taken from home, October 2003. Field simulates FOV of large binoculars.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (6x7 Bino Field...jpg
$M31 Andromeda Galaxy. Taken Oct 30, 2010 with 77mm Borg apo refractor at f/4 with Canon 7D at ISO 800 for stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures, Mean combined. Used AP Mach 1 mount and StarShoot guider on Borg 50mm guidescope and Toshiba netbook with PHD Guider 1.12. All seemed to work well.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (77mm 7D).jpg
$M31 Andromeda Galaxy, with TMB 92mm apo refractor and Borg 0.85x reducer/flattener for f/4.8 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO400 for 2 x 15 minute exposures. North is at bottom, south at top (better balance with this framing)$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (92mm 20Da).jpg
$M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, in a series of exposures to test stacking images with HDR techniques. I shot the galaxy in a series of 1, 2, 4, and 8 minute exposures, four of each exposure, all using the Nikon D750 and 92mm TMB refractor. A set of 1,2,4, and 8 minute exposures was stacked in Camera Raw using its HDR mode to create a new merged DNG file. I did this for four sets of 1 to 8 minute exposures, then processed each of the HDR stacks with Shadows and Highlights in ACR to bring out faint detail but retain detail in the bright core. Each of the 4 HDR stacks was then mean combined stacked in Photoshop and processed with Curves, S&H, B&C etc. So in total this is a stack of 16 images, 4 each x 1, 2, 4, and 8 minutes.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (92mm D750 HDR).jpg
$Andromeda Galaxy, M31, with the Lunt 80mm f/7 doublet apo refractor for stack of 5 x 15 minute exposures at ISO 800 with Canon 5D MkII and Borg 0.85x flattener/reducer. Companion galxies, M31 and M110 also shown. Taken from home. Field is roughly 4 x 2.5°.$

M31 Andromeda Galaxy (Lunt80 5DII).jpg
M31, Andromeda Galaxy (Quattro).jpg
M31, Andromeda Galaxy (Quattro).jpg
M31 Area (135mm Bino Field).jpg
$A test image of M31 taken for a book illustration using an entry-level deep sky setup to show what’s possible. This was with the SharpStar 76mm EDPH apo refractor on the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount, and guided with the ASIAir Pro and guidescope and the iPad app. The setup costs about $3000, about the minimum for a good deep sky rig for shooting with a telescope. This is a stack of 16 x 4 minute exposures with the Canon 60Da and with LENR on for all frames, so 64 minutes of actual images but an equal number of dark frames subtracted in the camera over 2 hours total of shooting. Taken Sept 16, 2020 under clear but smoky skies. All stacking, alignment and processing with Photoshop with Raw files developed in Adobe Camera Raw.$

M31 - Stack of 16 Processed.jpg
M31 with Orion 80mm and AVX (Multipl...jpg
$Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, shot with the William Optics 51mm f/4.9 RedCat astrograph, mounted on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i tracker as a test of the combination of small refractor and small tracker for an ultra-portable setup. It worked well but the tracker had to be autoguided for the best results and minimal trailing when shooting at even the relatively short focal length as this (250mm) for a small telescope. I used the ZWO ASIAir and guidescope for autoguiding in right ascension (no declination correction is possible with such a tracker). This is a stack of 18 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Canon EOS Ra — a high ISO to keep exposures times down to minimize any trailing in declination from misalignment on the celestial pole. The combination worked well. Some high haze moved in during the last exposures. This was from home October 11, 2020.$

M31 with RedCat on StarAdventurer 2i.jpg
$M33 Galaxy, with 5-inch apo refractor at f/6, with Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400. Stack of four 16-minute exposures. Taken from home on Nov. 20, 2006 on a superb night, very transparent and no aurora at all. Near perfect night. Guidetstar was lost for fifth exposure -- wind blew dewcap in front of eFinder guider lens. And seeing bloated up a bit more for the 2 to 4th exposures.$

M33 (5in f6).jpg
M33 Area (Bino Field 135mm).jpg
$The Local Group spiral galaxy, Messier 33 in Triangulum, with some of its star forming nebulas showing up as green-blue regions in its spiral arms. The field also contains some faint and much more distant 13th to 15th magnitude galaxies. This is a stack of 20 x 4-minute exposures, with the Starfield Optics Géar115 f/7 apo refractor taken as part of testing the scope, with its 0.8x Adjustable Reducer for f/5.6 and with the stock 45-megapixel Canon R5 at ISO 800. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 autoguider on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No dark frames or LENR applied on this mild night in November. Noise reduction with RC-Astro Noise XTerminator. All stacking, alignment and processing in Photoshop.$

M33 Triangulum Galaxy (Géar115 R5).jpg
$The Local Group spiral galaxy, Messier 33 in Triangulum, with some of its star forming nebulas showing up as green-blue Oxygen III regions in its spiral arms. This is a stack of 30 x 6-minute exposures, with the Starfield Optics Géar115 f/7 apo refractor taken as part of testing the scope, with its 1x Adjustable Field Flattener for the scope's native 805mm focal length, and with the stock 45-megapixel Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 autoguider on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No dark frames or LENR applied on this chilly night in December 2022. Noise reduction with RC-Astro Noise XTerminator; star reduction with RC-Astro StarShrink. Galaxy details were enhanced with applications of: a masked High Pass Sharpen filter, Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action, and PhotoKemi Dark Details action. All stacking, alignment and processing in Photoshop.$

M33 Triangulum Galaxy (Géar115 R5 w...jpg
$M33, the Triangulum Spiral, a dwarf spiral in the Local Group. This is a 6-image stack of 12-minute exposures with the Canon 7D at ISO 800 on the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor at f/6 on AP 600E mount and SBIG SG4 autoguider. Poor seeing bloated star images somewhat.$

M33 Triangulum Spiral (130mm 7D).jpg
$M49, elliptical galaxy in Virgo. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da on the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6. Galaxy below M49 is NGC 4610, one at left is NGC 4492, and spiral at top is NGC 4488$

M49 in Virgo (130mm 60Da).jpg
M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy (200mm 6DI...jpg
$Messier 51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, the classic face-on spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a stack of 6 x 10-minute exposures with the Astro-Physics 130mm apochromatic refractor at f/6 (with the 6x7 Field Flattener) and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800. As an experiment on this mild but still cool spring night I did not shoot dark frames or LENR in-camera darks to see the extent of thermal noise. There was quite a bit at the single pixel level, proving that the camera does need darks or LENR when the ambient temperature is warmer than a sub-zero winter night.$

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
$M51, taken April 22, 2006 with 5-inch apo refractor at f/4.5 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Four 10-minute exposures average-stacked.$

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (5in f4.5).jpg
M58, M59 & M60 (5in f4.5).jpg
$Messier 61, a face-on spiral galaxy in Virgo. Galaxy at upper left is NGC 4301, at upper right of M61 is NGC 4292. The short streak left of M61 is the asteroid 40 Harmonia. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 60Da and Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 apo refractor.$

M61 in Virgo (130mm 60Da).jpg
$Messier (M) 63, the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici in the northern spring sky. This is a fine example of a "flocculent" spiral galaxy with tightly wound and patchy spiral arms. Several small and more distant 14th and 15th magnitude UGC and PGC galaxies are also in the field. This is a stack of 9 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. One image in the 10-frame sequence had misguiding for some odd reason and was not included in the stack. Taken from home April 30, 2021. Starizona's Galaxy Enhance action applied to M63.$

M63 Sunflower Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M63 Sunflower Galaxy (5in f4.5).jpg
M63, the Sunflower Galaxy (200mm 6DI...jpg
$The bright galaxy Messier (M) 64 in Coma Berenices, aka the Black Eye Galaxy from its prominent dark dust lane around the nucleus. This is a stack of 16 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Slight haze this night, April 12, 2021, added the star glows. The mount, the AP Mach 1, was autoguided with the MGEN3 autoguider applying a 5-pixel dithering shift between each frame. Alignment and stacking (with Median blend) of exported TIFFs was with Affinity Photo's Astrophotography Stack mode, as Photoshop did fail to accurately align this set, unusual for Photoshop. Development of raws was with Camera Raw, and editing was with Photoshop.$

M64 Black-Eye Galaxy (130mm EOS Ra v...jpg
M64 Black Eye Galaxy (5in f4.5).jpg
M65 and M66 in Leo (200mm 6DII).jpg
M65 & M66 (5in f4.5).jpg
$Leo Triplet of galaxies, taken with 5-inch Astro-Physics refractor at f/6 (no flattener) and Canon 7D camera, on Mach1 mount as a test of SBIG SG-4 autoguider. Stack of 2 x 8 minutes at ISO1600 and 4 x 15 minutes at ISO800. Median combined.$

M65, M66, NGC 3628 Leo Trio (5in 7D).jpg
$The Leo Trio or Triplet of spiral galaxies — Messier 65 (right), Messier 66 (left) and the edge-on galaxy NGC 3628 (top), three bright galaxies for small telescopes below the star Chertan in eastern Leo. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra through the SharpStar 94mm EDPH apo refractor with its dedicated field flattener/reducer for f/4.5. Auto-guided with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone auto-guider which dithered the images by 5 pixels between each exposure. No darks applied.$

M65 & M66 (SS 94mm EOS Ra).jpg
$The pair of contrasting galaxies, the face-on spiral M77 and egd-on spiral NGC 1055 (above) in Cetus. Shot from home November 21, 2016 with the Explore Scientific FCD 102mm apo refractor at f/7 with a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon 5D MkII. Some frost at the end. The bright star is Delta Ceti. Russell Croman’s Gradient Xterminator applied to even out the background.$

M77 and NGC 1055 (FCD102).jpg
$Messier 81 (the spiral galaxy below) and M82 (the irregular galaxy on top) in Ursa Major. M81 is Bode’s Galaxy, while M82 is the Cigar Galaxy. The galaxy at bottom left is NGC 3077 This is a stack of 10 x 10-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics 130mm apo refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener lens. Taken April 24/25, 2020. North is up in this view.$

M81 and M82 (130mm EOS Ra).jpg
M81 and M82 Galaxy Pair (200mm 6DII).jpg
$Taken April 19/20, 2006 with Astro-Physics 4-inch Traveler apo refractor at f/6 with 6x7 field flattener in place as well. Canon 20Da camera at ISO400 and stack of 4 x 16 minute exposures, on mild spring night. Some slight field rotation between frames due to misalignment. Frames de-rotated in Photoshop. Each galaxy masked and punched up a bit mroe with Curves and Selective Color.$

M81 & M82 (4in f6).jpg
M83 (200mm 5DII).jpg
$M83 with 4-inch Astro-Physics Traveler apo refractor at f/6 with Canon 20Da at ISO800 and 6 minutes each -- stack of three exposures. Taken from Queensland, Australia July 30, 2006.$

M83 Galaxy (4in f6 20Da).jpg
M84, M86 & M87 (5in f4.5).jpg
$M85, a lenticular galaxy in Coma Berenices. Small barred spiral at left is NGC 4394. This is a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures with the Canon 60Da at ISO 800, on the Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 apo refractor.$

M85 in Coma Berenices (130mm 60Da).jpg
$M87 to M58 area of the Coma-Virgo galaxy cluster, with M87 at right, and M90 (spiral galaxy) at top left, M89 (round elliptical) at centre left, and M58 at bottom left. NGC 4550 and 4551 are the pair below M89 at centre. This is a stack of 5 x 5 minute exposures with the 92mm TMB apo refractor and Borg 0.85x reducer/flattener for f/4.5, and Canon 7D at ISO 800. Taken April 24, 2011.$

M87, M89, M90 & M58 Galaxies (92...jpg
$M88 (right) and M91 (left), a pair of spiral galaxies in Coma Berenices, taken May 6, 2013 from home, with the 130mm Astro-Physics apo refractor at f/6 and Canon 60Da at ISO 800 for a stack of 4 x 10 minute exposures.$

M88 and M91 in Coma Berenices (1300m...jpg